After a stint of 17 years, “Top Chef” will no longer feature Padma Lakshmi and her knives. The 52-year-old longtime host announced on June 2nd via a social media post her exit from the cooking competition hosted by Bravo following the conclusion of Season 20. Her decision is partly because he wants to give more attention to “Taste the Nation”, her series on Hulu.
Padma Lakshmi And Her New Ventures
Padma Lakshmi, in her post, started by saying that she did a lot of soul searching, and following that she took the tough decision to exit from Top Chef. Lakshmi is also one of the show’s executive producers.
She continued by calling the 20th season glorious and that she was very proud to be the executive producer and host. She also feels proud to be one of the members behind the growth of a show this successful that also has such a great impact on the industry of food and television.
Padma Lakshmi writes that several crew and cast members have become akin to family to her following the 17 years. As such, she will dearly miss working together with them. However, she feels like this is the correct time to take the next step and give space for her books, creative pursuits, and “Taste the Nation”.
In conclusion, Lakshmi wrote to her fans and expressed her deep gratitude for their years of support and love for her. The ex-model had joined the cooking show in 2006 when the show’s second season was airing. She was the replacement for Katie Lee, the original host. Her performance on the show earned the TV personality of Indian-American origin 13 Emmy Nominations. 3 were for Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Competition Program.
