Kristi Noem & Paula Deen's Head-Turning Photo Op Shows How Drastically They've Changed

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has made an unflattering name for herself with the ever-growing list of controversial things she's done throughout her career. Meanwhile, celebrity chef and media personality Paula Deen experienced a major fall from grace after being dropped by the Food Network. No matter what they're making headlines for, both also may warrant attention (and public scrutiny) for how their looks have changed in the past decade.

When Deen and Noem came together as an unlikely pair, seeing them side by side made it clear how much they've both changed. The two polarizing figures linked up at Deen's Lady & Sons restaurant, at which Noem also checked out merch and greeted fans after presumably enjoying Deens's Southern cooking. Though most normal people might be in and out after eating their meal and taking in the atmosphere, Noem couldn't help but take every photo opportunity possible, including multiple with its owner. "Paula Deen and I are pretty much best friends now after I spent some time at her Lady & Sons restaurant in Savannah," Noem wrote in a September 17, 2024 Instagram post. The photos Noem shared highlighted just how much the women have changed over the years.

With age comes changes in every person's look, some more drastic than others. However, there's no denying that U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and celebrity chef Paula Deen almost look like completely different people compared to years ago.

Noem once basked in her natural beauty and sported a shoulder-length wolf cut that has since been replaced by long hair extensions. Just as a brutal side-by-side comparison of Noem put her rumored plastic surgery on blast, her modern fillers stuck out like sore thumbs in the 2024 photo with Deen. The camera's low resolution and faraway angle further brought out her manipulated features by blotting out her eyes, which were absorbed by her overdone dark eyeliner.

Meanwhile, Deen, who was 77 when the photo was taken, has also notably changed. She was far more fresh-faced in her official "Dancing with the Stars" team photo, which she posted on Instagram in September 2015. In comparison, Deen looked much older and more frail when posing next to Noem. Thanks to photos like the one they took together, it's plain to see just how drastically they've altered over the years.