Paula Deen fallout: QVC to "take a pause," Sears cuts ties

Paula Deen's empire continues to crumble, as more of her partnerships fall apart. The latest? QVC and Sears Holdings Corp., which runs retailers Sears and Kmart.

Mike George, president and CEO of QVC, announced on the company's website Thursday that QVC will "take a pause" from the celebrity cook.

In a letter to customers, George wrote that QVC, Deen and her team have "talked extensively over the last several days, and together we have considered what is best for our customers, for Paula, and for QVC."

George explained, "For now, we have decided to take a pause. Paula won't be appearing on any upcoming broadcasts and we will phase out her product assortment on our online sales channels over the next few months. We all think it's important, at this moment, for Paula to concentrate on responding to the allegations against her and on her path forward."