In addition to being a co-host and judge, Indian-American luminary Padma Lakshmi also serves as an executive producer on Bravo's long-running cooking competition show Top Chef. Joining the show in season 2, Lakshmi has appeared on over 200 episodes of the show since 2006. As an integral part of the series, she has 10 Primetime Emmy nominations to date.
In the intervening 15 years, Lakshmi has also appeared in such projects as 30 Rock, Girl Most Likely, Royal Pains, Life in Pieces, and several talk shows, including Today, The View, Entertainment Tonight, and more. In 2020, Lakshmi launched her own Hulu original series, Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi.
Her Birthplace
While many are sure to know that Lakshmi is of Indian descent, most are probably unaware of where she was actually born. According to The Times of India, Lakshmi was born in Madras (now called Chennai), India.
At age four, Lakshmi emigrated to the United States with her mother and step-father. According to the Asian Enough podcast, she spent her formative years coming of age in New York before her family relocated to La Puente, California, as a teenager.
She Speaks Five Languages
Lakshmi is a multilingual talent who can speak five different languages. According to Sunday Times, they include English, Hindi, Tamal, Italian, and Spanish. Lakshmi honed her language skills by studying abroad in Spain.
After graduating from William Workman High School in City of Industry, California, in 1988, Lakshmi moved east to attend Clark University in Massachusetts. During her enrollment, she studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, where she earned a degree in American literature and theater arts in 1992.
She Began Modeling While Studying Abroad
While studying abroad in Spain, Lakshmi began her modeling career in earnest when she was discovered by a photographer during her senior year of college. She quickly became recognized as the first supermodel of Indian descent.
According to Evening Standard Magazine, Lakshmi was "the first Indian model to have a career in Paris, Milan, and New York. I'm the first one to admit it was a novelty." Despite the modesty, Lakshmi has worked with the top fashion designers in the world, including Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, Ralph Lauren, and more.
She Suffered Major Car Accident In 1984
When she was 14 years old in 1984, Lakshmi suffered a major car accident in Malibu, California. The wreckage resulted in Lakshmi fracturing her right hip and shattering her right shoulder.
According to The Guardian, the latter injury required surgery and left Lakshmi with a seven-inch scar on her arm between her shoulder and elbow, which can be seen on Top Chef and in her photoshoots.
She Married A Famous Author
After living together for three years, Lakshmi married Salman Rushdie in April of 2004, the controversial author of The Satanic Verses. After three years of marriage, the two got divorced in July of 2007.
In February of 2010, Lakshmi gave birth to her first child at the age of 39, a daughter named Krishna. After attempting to conceal the identity of Krishna's father, the person was eventually revealed to be Adam Dell, the brother of Dell Computers founder, Michael Dell.
She's A Cookbook Author
Years prior to her time on Top Chef, Lakshmi demonstrated her culinary expertise with a cookbook called Easy Exotic: A Model's Low-Fat Recipes From Around the World in 1999. Since then, she's also written three more cookbooks and a memoir.
Lakshmi's second cookbook, Tangy, Tart, Hot, and Sweet: A World of Recipes for Everyday was published in 2007. In 2016, she had two tomes published, including Love, Loss, And What We Ate: A Memoir, and a third cookbook titled The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs: An Essential Guide to the Flavors of the World.
She Launched Jewelry Line In 2009
In 2009, Lakshmi launched her inaugural jewelry line simply branded as Padma. Lakshmi told stylebistro.com, "I pretty much am designing for myself and my girlfriends."
Later, Lakshmi began two tableware lines. The first is called The Padma Collection, which focuses on ornate dinnerware made from ceramics from Morocco and glass from Turkey. The second line is called Easy Exotic and features more casual cookware and also includes lines of tea, frozen rice, and special spices.
She Contributes To Charitable Causes
Lakshmi has parlayed her career success into a slew of philanthropic causes. When she was 36 years old, she was diagnosed with endometriosis and she explained her struggle with the disease on Redbook Magazine's YouTube channel.
As such, Lakshmi co-founded the charity Endometriosis Foundation of America in 2009, a nonprofit that aims to spread public awareness about the disease.
She Has An Impressive Acting Resume
Given how much time she's spent on Top Chef in the past 15 years, it's easy to overlook Lakshmi's cinematic resume. But prior to landing the Top Chef gig, Lakshmi starred and performed a song in Glitter opposite Mariah Carey.
Lakshmi's additional big-screen credits include Boom, The Mistress of Spices, Girl Most Likely, and American Mirror: Intimations of Immortality. In terms of her TV acting credits, she's also appeared in Star Trek: Enterprise, The Ten Commandments, Sharpe, and more.
She's An ACLU Ambassador
In addition to her philanthropic work, Lakshmi serves as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) ambassador advocating for fair immigration and women's rights. According to ET Canada, she has used her position of power and experience as an Indian-American to speak against colorism.
In 2019, Lakshmi was named United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador, a position that allows her to advocate against inequality in both affluent and impoverished nations.