15: Vault: Who Hit Paula Deen With a Ham?

Summary

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The Bert Show: Vault - Who Hit Paula Deen With a Ham?

Episode Date: May 15, 2026
Main Cast: Bert, Kristin, Abby, Cassie, Tommy, and The Bert Show Cast

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Overview

In this Vault episode, The Bert Show takes a hilarious and lighthearted look back at the infamous “Paula Deen hit by a ham” incident. The crew recounts and reacts to the story of how celebrity chef Paula Deen was accidentally struck in the face with a ham during a charity event in Atlanta. The episode blends storytelling, live audio replays, and off-the-cuff banter as the cast tries to piece together the details, speculate about the identity of the ham-thrower, and share their genuine amusement (and sympathy) for all parties involved.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The Paula Deen Charity Event

• Background: Paula Deen was in Atlanta, personally donating over $25,000 worth of Smithfield hams and food to “Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless,” a renowned Atlanta charity (01:26).
• Assembly Line Madness: The event included an assembly-line process for unloading hams. Paula Deen participated, ham in hand, ‘hamming it up’ for the cameras (01:59).
• The (Ham) Toss: Paula initiated the fun by tossing a ham like a football to a volunteer. The infamous moment came when a male volunteer—caught up in the assembly line energy—playfully tossed a ham back at Paula, inadvertently striking her in the face (02:01–02:41).

2. Replay and Reaction: The Clip & Aftermath

• Live Audio Replay: The hosts play the original audio from the event, highlighting the crowd’s shift from excitement to shock in an instant.
  • “Play that again. Play it again… You can hear the ham on her face.”
    — The Bert Show Co-host 3 (03:33–03:35)
• Immediate Concerns: The cast expresses initial worry about possible serious injuries (“I thought, oh my God, her nose is shattered”), before clarifying that Paula was merely stunned, not seriously hurt (02:48–04:03).
• Paula’s Resilience: Paula Deen was seen laughing afterward and even hugged the culprit (04:03).

3. The Paula Deen Interview & Her Own Take

• Paula Deen’s Own Words:
  • “And I saw him lift the ham, but I was turned around to get another ham, and I thought he was just saying, back at you. Well, he really meant back at you. He threw the ham back, and I was unexpecting the pig, and it just hit me full on. Oh, man. About knocked me full loop.”
    — Paula Deen (04:50)
  • The humor and good sportsmanship shine in her retelling. She adds, “I’m okay. I’m okay.” (05:16)

4. Who Was the Ham-Thrower? The Ongoing Mystery

• No ID on the Air: The cast discusses how thoroughly the man’s identity has been shielded by everyone (05:44–05:53).
  • “No reports have his name. Nobody released his name. No TV stations have his name. Nothing in the AJC about his name. Nothing.”
    — The Bert Show Host (05:53)
• Radio Show’s Plea: The crew implores the public for leads—emphasizing humor over blame:
  • “We're not gonna come down on you, dude. But we would like to talk to you.”
    — The Bert Show Host (00:45)

5. Social Media & The Headlines

• Twitter Buzz: The cast describes seeing the story explode on social media, with over-the-top headlines like “Paula Deen Hit by Ham—Exclusive Video!” (05:59).
• Viral Video: The fact that every major TV news station in Atlanta played up the drama of the “ham hit” is a point of amusement (06:26).

6. Paula Deen Ham Toss: The Bert Show’s Proposal

• On-Air Event: The co-hosts joke about hosting their own “Paula Deen Ham Toss” in the parking lot for fun (05:23).

7. Light-hearted Sympathy & Jokes

• Relatable Anxiety: Several hosts talk about the terror of embarrassing yourself in front of a celebrity and how this poor volunteer is probably mortified for life (04:06).
• Southern Sass: Debate over whether Paula Deen would have “punched back” (“She’s a Southern woman. Yes, she does have it in her.”) is a recurring joke (04:25–04:30).
• Ham PTSD: There’s a running gag about Paula Deen developing a “fear of flying hams” (04:36).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sympathy for the (Accidental) Ham-Thrower:
  “Your worst nightmare is being in front of a celebrity for the first time and doing something so stupid that they actually remember you.”
  — The Bert Show Host (00:45)

• The Sound of Impact:
  “You can hear the ham on her face.”
  — The Bert Show Co-host 3 (03:35)

• Paula’s Good Humor:
  “I was unexpecting the pig, and it just hit me full on. Oh, man. About knocked me full loop.”
  — Paula Deen (04:50)

• A Legendary Gaffe:
  “He’ll always be the dude in Atlanta that threw a ham at Paula Dean and hit her in the face.”
  — The Bert Show Host (00:45)

• Public Anonymity:
  “No TV stations have his name. Nothing in the AJC about his name. Nothing.”
  — The Bert Show Host (05:53)

• Proposal for a Ham Toss:
  “Shouldn’t we be having, like, a Paula Deen ham toss or something? Today, out in the parking lot.”
  — The Bert Show Co-host 2 (05:23)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:45: Overview of the incident and call for the ham-thrower to come on air
• 01:26–02:41: Detailed retelling of how the incident unfolded at the charity event
• 03:09–03:48: Play-by-play of live audio capturing the moment of impact
• 04:50: Paula Deen recounts the incident in her own words
• 05:23: The crew jokes about doing a “Paula Deen ham toss” themselves
• 05:44–05:59: Discussion on the anonymity of the ham-thrower and the viral spread of the story

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Tone & Style

The episode maintains the playful, authentic, and occasionally irreverent tone The Bert Show is known for. The cast laughs with (never at) the participants, showing warmth and humility, and finds comedic relief in a truly bizarre (and harmless) accident. Memorable southern charm and mild self-deprecation run throughout.

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Summary

For fans of pop-culture oddities or those wanting a lighthearted start to their day, this episode of The Bert Show offers a rollicking retelling of the “Paula Deen ham incident.” The team’s camaraderie, the presence of real event audio, and Paula Deen’s own humorous input provide both belly laughs and a surprisingly sweet, human angle to an urban legend in Atlanta charity lore.

Transcript

[Paula Deen]

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[The Birch Show Host]

The Birch Show People are really protecting this guy, man. And I understand why. We're not trying to embarrass this dude. I just would really love for him to come on and give us the play by play of everything that happened yesterday. Because I think your worst nightmare is being in front of a celebrity for the first time and doing something so stupid that they actually remember you. And unfortunately, this guy's gonna be branded like, he'll always be the dude in Atlanta that threw a ham at Paula Dean and hit her in the face. Because there's a thing we're trying to find this guy. So if you know who he is or if it's you, we're not gonna come down on you, dude. But we would like to talk to you. 404-741-Q100.

[The Birch Show Co-host 1]

We want to laugh with you, but it was, yeah, Smithfield. It was a huge story about how Paula Deen and Smithfield were donating a bunch of food to Hosea Feed the hungry. And of course, Hosea feed the hungry and the homeless. They do a huge event on Thanksgiving Day. That's I believe Thanksgiving was the first day that they did this. And now it's extended to other holidays, but it's here in Atlanta and it's a great organization. So Paula Deen came down to Atlanta or up from Savannah to Atlanta. I don't know where she came from. And she was here to personally donate these hams and the food to Hosea feed them.

[The Birch Show Co-host 2]

Like $25,000 worth of stainless.

[The Birch Show Co-host 1]

Yes. And so they are in the facility there in which they are unloading the truck of the Smithfield hams. And it's almost like this assembly line. Like you've seen if there's flooding, how people with bags, you know, will hand the bag one to the other to the other to, you know, keep the flooding from happening. Well, this is how they were doing with the hams. They were in this line and Paula Deen was part of the people in this line and they were passing it along well, Paula Deen decides, and the camera's there. So she's hamming it up and she takes the ha. And she tosses it, like, throws it like a football to this guy. And then there's another guy that was like, right back at you, Paula. And then threw the ham and she wasn't looking. And knocked her right in the face.

[The Birch Show Host]

And he threw it.

[The Birch Show Co-host 3]

He wasn't even paying attention.

[The Birch Show Co-host 2]

She wasn't looking like you threw it. Then she turned around to get the other ham and that's when he threw her in. And you hit her in the face with it, bro.

[The Birch Show Co-host 1]

And it did not break her nose. That's what I was. The first thing I thought is, oh, my God, her nose is shattered.

[The Birch Show Host]

Or I thought maybe split her lip or something. Cause she hunches over afterwards and she starts to sort of walk away from the crowd. And she's being escorted by a couple of other people just to make sure she's okay. Here's some of the audio on it right here. And you can hear, like, everybody's all excited. Ham goes in the air. And you could hear everybody.

[The Birch Show Co-host 3]

Oh, just probably. Do they just gasp? I can't believe it.

[The Birch Show Host]

You can hear the attitude change in like a second. It's like.

[The Birch Show Co-host 1]

Did you hear that?

[The Birch Show Co-host 3]

Play that again. Play it again.

[The Birch Show Co-host 1]

Play it again.

[The Birch Show Co-host 3]

You can hear the ham on her face.

[The Birch Show Host]

So everybody's all excited. She's throwing this ham down the line. And then this dude throws it back. Oh,

[The Birch Show Co-host 2]

That is the ham hitting her. Because you know, she was. Mike.

[The Birch Show Host]

I didn't know it was being thrown. And then she says at the end, I didn't know it was being thrown.

[The Birch Show Co-host 2]

But like, she's wearing the mic, so you see her laugh when she throws it.

[The Birch Show Co-host 1]

No, we're only laughing because she's fine.

[The Birch Show Host]

Yes.

[The Birch Show Co-host 1]

And that she hugged the guy afterwards,

[The Birch Show Co-host 3]

but that was loud.

[The Birch Show Host]

I'm more laughing because truly, I mean, anytime you meet a big time celebrity, you're so nervous anyway. And really just what you want to do is get through it. And this poor guy has this

[Commercial Narrator]

his whole life.

[The Birch Show Co-host 3]

It's like a big hit in football. But she got hit in the face with a hand.

[The Birch Show Co-host 1]

I am shocked she didn't punch him.

[The Birch Show Host]

I mean, because she doesn't have that in her.

[The Birch Show Co-host 3]

It was because there's cameras there. There's cameras.

[The Birch Show Co-host 1]

She's a Southern woman. Yes, she does have it in her. Shit. Yeah. It would have taken everything I had to give her. Punch him back in the face.

[The Birch Show Co-host 2]

It's gonna give her that disease again or she won't Leave the house. She's gonna go back home and be scared of flying hams.

[The Birch Show Host]

I forgot she had that. Here's Paula Deen, I think, on CBS Atlanta, talking about what happened to her in that line.

[Paula Deen]

And I saw him lift the ham, but I was turned around to get another ham, and I thought he was just saying, back at you. Well, he really meant back at you. He threw the ham back, and I was unexpecting the pig, and it just hit me full on. Oh, man. About knocked me full loop.

[Commercial Narrator]

Are you okay?

[Paula Deen]

I'm okay. I'm okay.

[The Birch Show Co-host 2]

Listen to the reporter. Oh, man.

[The Birch Show Co-host 3]

She's never cooking another ham again. That was it.

[The Birch Show Co-host 2]

Hey, if we're radio people, good radio people, shouldn't we be having, like, a Paula Deen ham toss or something? Today, out in the parking lot,

[The Birch Show Co-host 3]

I

[Paula Deen]

didn't know it was being thrown.

[The Birch Show Host]

Little thing just kind of walks over

[The Birch Show Co-host 1]

his heart, just hunched over.

[The Birch Show Host]

Nobody is calling with a lead on who that guy is. Everybody's trying to protect him. I understand it. Yeah.

[Commercial Narrator]

Because he has to live with this.

[The Birch Show Co-host 1]

Yeah. No reports have his name. Nobody released his name.

[The Birch Show Host]

No TV stations have his name. Nothing in the AJC about his name. Nothing.

[The Birch Show Co-host 2]

I love the headlines, though. Like, I first saw it on Twitter, but it. And I didn't realize it had happened in Atlanta until I got to my computer. But like, Paula Deen hit by ham. Video. Exclusive video. Paula Deen hit in the face by Ham Throne Ham hits Paula Deen in the face. We have video all the. Like, CBS Atlanta, 11 Alive, WSB. Everybody's like Paula Deen. Ham hit in the face. We have video. It sounds a joke. The Burt show.

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