It’s hard to remember there was a time when Padma Lakshmi was not the host of Top Chef. Back in Season 1 – which you can binge with a Hulu subscription – Katie Lee hosted the series through challenges that included making food for a sexy fetish party. Then Padma came and brought delightful quips after too much champagne, as well as a touch of fashion and elegance to the proceedings. Now, after Season 20 it’s all over for the longtime host, and she’s finally getting candid about why she’s leaving the Bravo series.
So why was Top Chef: World All Stars Padma's last? It wasn’t all one thing or another. The TV host said “a whole lot of complex factors” went into the decision, but at the end of the day it, really seems we can boil them down to two. First, the popularity and work that goes into making Taste the Nation factored in. Secondly– it’s maybe time to “enjoy” life a little bit more.
Lakshmi admitted she initially wasn’t sure if the most recent season of Top Chef – which ended with SPOILER! Buddha Lo winning back-to-back lauds – would be her last, but that her Hulu series Taste the Nation did factor into the decision. Speaking to the LA Times, she said she was still “shaky” about even talking about leaving the competition series.
I feel a little shaky, because it’s been so emotional. I’m gonna be honest with you: I was really scared to do this interview because I’m just still so raw. I just walked away from a 17-year-old institution that was such a large part of my life — not only my professional life but my public life and my personal life.
At 52, Padma Lakshmi is no newcomer in the entertainment industry, though she’s clearly well within the throes of a successful career. She’s been at the Top Chef grind for so long, she said in the interview that she remembers her young daughter sitting on the laps of producers while they were filming the competition series; her daughter is now 13. It was hard to even think about giving the show up, but ultimately a couple of major things weighed in.
There were a whole lot of complex factors that went into this decision. The biggest one is Taste the Nation, which consumes me in the best way, intellectually, spiritually, creatively, and I just want to keep making it. Other than writing my memoir and editing the anthology [of travel essays], it has been the most gratifying work of my life. I love both shows for very different reasons, and I’m very, very lucky to have two hit shows on TV at the same time. That’s like lightning in a bottle — I felt like, how could I give that up? You know, because Hollywood likes to keep you nice and scared.
So, she hung on, thinking about the machine she, Tom and Gail have kept running with a huge host of other people for years. Ultimately though, it was her crazy schedule and her need for a break she says weighed on her more than her worry of maintaining a role in Hollywood.
Last year, my grandmother died. She practically raised me. A week after, I had to go and film Taste the Nation, which was honestly the best thing because it kept my mind occupied. It’s OK because it’s one week out on the road and then one week off, where I’m working to set up the next week but at least I get to sleep at home with my kid. We went away for a week for spring break; we had two weeks away in August. And then, bang, I was on the set of Top Chef from mid-August until October. So I was on the road from February to October. And I was exhausted. I just want to enjoy my life a little bit.
Insofar as the cast goes, the three have worked really well together; Gail knows more about desserts and brings a warm love of food and textures to the table, Tom is quietly critical but has all the dad jokes, Padma has no problem saying what she thinks and brings a sense of fun to the proceedings. The good news is that the show is bigger than Padma. It’s bigger than Gail and Tom, too, though the latter would be a critical loss. Top Chef has survived a pandemic and a changing network TV landscape. It's survived changes in food tastes and many, many different challenges. It will live on.
The show hasn’t announced who the successor will be, but I really hope it’s someone who brings the same perfect balance and flair to the proceedings. And OK, fashion, I’m really hoping for someone with an interest in fashion.
We’ll miss you Padma, but now you should have plenty more time for relaxing bathtub picnics.
