Paula Deen holds court (Photo credit: Bristol Motor Speedway & Dragway)

By Justin Ravitz

Paula Deen is in full-on crisis mode — and she’s brought out a big gun in the hopes of reviving her ruined reputation following last week’s N-word disaster. (The fired Food Network star broke down in tears Wednesday morning on the Today Show speaking to Matt Lauer about the ongoing fracas.) And, a source tells Us Weekly the celebrity chef, 66, has hired none other than Scandal’s Olivia Pope! Well, sort of.

A source tells Us Weekly the Lady and Sons proprietor has been “making desperate calls to top crisis PR firms” after Food Network and Smithfield both dropped her in the wake of the scandal, with other partnerships and business ventures on thin ice as well. “She ended up with Judy Smith,” the source reveals. Smith, 54, is a Washington, D.C.-based crisis management expert who has worked with the likes of Monica Lewinsky and Michael Vick — and famously inspired Olivia Pope, the fictional DC “fixer” on ABC’s Scandal played by Kerry Washington.

Read More Paula Deen Olivia Pope: Hires Crisis Fixer Who Inspired Scandal – UsMagazine.com.