Padma Lakshmi is leaving ‘Top Chef’ after 17 years

Lakshmi joined “Top Chef” for its second season in 2006, and she said this season — its 20th, whose season finale airs next week — would be her last. During her run, Lakshmi garnered four Emmy nominations for outstanding reality show host, and the show racked up an additional 10 Emmy nominations for outstanding competition program during her tenure as executive producer.

Lakshmi, who has written several cookbooks as well as a memoir and a children’s book, was lauded for her on-screen presence and her culinary chops — and her ability to deliver criticism of “cheftestants” with a side helping of compassion. In a 2021 interview with The Washington Post, she spoke about wanting to stretch creatively beyond the show that made her a household name. “Like anybody, I want to keep challenging myself, and I want to keep growing as someone who is a writer,” she said. “I’m really a writer first.”

Chef and restaurateur Tom Colicchio, who has been head judge of “Top Chef” since the beginning, said that Lakshmi’s ability to strike the right balance came naturally. “We aren’t playing roles — that’s just who she is,” he said in an interview. “She’s tough when she needs to be tough, and when she needs to be empathetic, she is.”

Behind the scenes, Lakshmi impressed him with her work ethic and determination to learn the technical aspects of professional kitchens. When she first joined the show, he noted, she had a good palate but little experience in restaurants. “So she put in the time,” Colicchio said. “She spent time in the kitchen at Le Bernardin. When we would do challenges, she would do the research. She really put in the work — not for the cameras — and that was impressive.”

“End of an era and an incredible run,” wrote Bravo host and producer Andy Cohen, who was a producer and erstwhile judge on the show, in a comment on Lakshmi’s Instagram post announcing her news. “You were such an amazing partner and a BRILLIANT host. I have such great memories of our [‘Top Chef’] days.”

NBCUniversal released a statement praising Lakshmi — as well as her gastronomic fortitude — and holding out the possibility that she might make a future guest appearance on the show she helmed. “We are grateful to Padma for being a consummate host, judge, and executive producer, and for bringing her ingenuity and exceptional palate to each episode where she ate every bite of food on the series for over 17 years and 19 seasons,” the statement said. “She will always be part of the ‘Top Chef’ and the NBCUniversal family and has a seat at the judges’ table anytime.”

Colicchio said he learned of the news only a few minutes before Lakshmi announced it and professed not to know who might fill her shoes. He said that whoever steps in, the show’s focus won’t change. “It’s not about us,” he said. “It’s about the chefs.” And he’s not planning to pack his own knives anytime soon. “I like doing it because of what it means to our industry and to our chefs — because of this platform, they find that they can raise money for their restaurants, which is especially important for women and minorities,” he said. “That’s the legacy of the show.”

One former contestant whose profile got a boost from the show is Kwame Onwuachi, now an author and a James Beard Award-winning chef who helms Tatiana, his new restaurant in Lincoln Center. Onwuachi said he admires Lakshmi’s passion for her work on “Top Chef” and “Taste the Nation,” as well as her philanthropy. “She’s used her platform to lift people up,” Onwuachi, who was a fan favorite on the 13th season of “Top Chef,” said in an email. “She’s always been there to help and be a resource, whether it’s for different plights or it’s just a personal thing. I’ve definitely watched and have been inspired by it.”

Off-screen, Lakshmi is known for her activism — she has long advocated for awareness and funding for endometriosis — and for sharing frank takes on political and social issues.

Lakshmi, 52, was named to the Times 100 list this year and also posed for Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue, on whose pages the former model spoke about the possibilities of new life chapters. “I want everybody to see this pictorial and understand that sometimes a whole new phase that’s even more exciting than anything you’ve ever experienced before can happen well over 40,” she told the magazine.