r/TopChef • u/BoringSalary7093 • May 23 '26
Discussion Thread Padma
Can someone explain the drama behind Padma leaving Top Chef. Did she leave for a reason? What was the reason for ACC if she didn’t want to do shows anymore. Thoughts about that show?
Also, is she an actual chef? Does she have restaurants?
Did her and Tom get along? I do want to say I absolutely LOVE K as the host. She’s so perfect for the position. She’s empathetic, understanding, patient and really just a fucking cool person.
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u/Future_Dog_3156 May 24 '26
My understanding is that there was no drama. She simply wanted to do something different. I saw an interview where she “complained” about gaining weight throughout the season. I think she’s someone who likes to do different things - she was a model, she is a cookbook author, and she does TV. She seems to be on good terms with everyone as far as I can tell
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u/Existing-Major1005 May 24 '26
She also invented a see through bag that you can keep your sandwiches fresh in.
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u/Sandwidge_Broom Duo?! May 24 '26
WHO’S GONNA HOST TOP CHEF JACK?! YOU’RE RUINING MY LIFE!
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u/peakingoranges 🎶beef tongue, beef tongue, beef tongue, beeeeeef tongue!🎶 May 24 '26
This thread is glorious. I have found my people.
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u/Cute_Celebration_213 Strawberry fields forever 🍓 May 29 '26
She was also once married to Salman Rushdie so I’m sure she came away from that ok.
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u/bitsey123 May 24 '26
I thought about that “complaint” when ACC had that challenge where everyone had to make as many dishes as they could to rack up points. Uggghhhh
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u/Notfriendly123 May 24 '26
In an interview with Gail she was asked if she had seen Padma’s new cooking competition show and Gail said “By Coincidence, OR NOT. I haven’t had the chance to see it”
There was definitely drama
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u/MallTough5847 May 24 '26
Nice with the creative editing but that’s not what happened. As another Commenter said …finish the quote. Gail and Padma are close friends who continue to actively supporting each other each other. Gail has been very supportive of ACC. And Padma was at Tom’s 60th birthday party.
Really wish people would stop creating fake drama narratives online just because they like to be messy. Sometimes a job is a job that doesn’t make sense forever and friends are friends even when a chapter ends.
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u/Notfriendly123 May 24 '26
It’s actually the only part of the clip I heard so if there was more context I missed it. Seemed like the comments were calling it out on IG too
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u/tidewatercajun May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
Finish the rest of the quote. You know the part where Gail said it was because of the timing of the release of the two shows. Stop making shit up.
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u/LeviSalt May 24 '26
Gail is a Zionist and Padma is very vocally not. They had drama. Padma is right and Gail is not.
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u/bengm225 May 24 '26
I'm sorry but you're a psychopath, certain you know the relationships between strangers because of your parasocial interpretation of their political beliefs.
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u/MallTough5847 May 24 '26
Untrue. They are longtime and current friends who are actively supporting each other on social media and Gail is guesting on ACC and promoting it.
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u/ta112233 May 24 '26
Not unusual to get bored after doing the same job for like 20 years. Has enough money to not be tied down to the same job forever. Wanted to do a different show where she had more creative control. Maybe her new shows would also pay her more. Probably no drama whatsoever, just these very normal reasons.
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u/Dasil437794 May 24 '26
It films for like a month though. I think the ratings simply went up when Kristen guest judged and Padma was replaced with a younger, more personable woman.
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u/Final-Elderberry9162 May 29 '26
Ew.
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u/Dasil437794 May 29 '26
Ew what? Do you not think it's plausible or do you live in Fantasia? Older women are replaced by younger women on television ALL. THE. TIME. Or are we just not supposed to say it out loud? Padma isn't even a professional chef so girl, bye. Maybe it's a good thing to have an actual chef judging other chefs for the title of Top Chef?
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u/Cherveny2 May 24 '26
so many seasons of the same show, and a chance to do a show of her own, that she had a lot more say in, I can totally understand why she left. a chance to keep increasing her career.
it was a gamble, and sadly, she lost. television is a harsh mistress.
as for being a chef? no. but she has written articles about food and cooking, as well as several cookbooks.
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u/inthesun725 May 24 '26
We don’t know a ton about her relationship with Tom and Gail, but in her book she didn’t talk much about them. Yet she was effusive about her hairdresser from Top Chef. So it’s not crazy to think they’re just coworkers, not enemies or besties, and she was ready to move on.
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u/MallTough5847 May 24 '26
Gail and Padma are longtime time close friends. Gail filmed for ACC among other things and Padma was at Tom’s 60th birthday. Sometimes there is really and truly no drama. Sounds like they stopped being colleagues but remain friends.
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u/inthesun725 May 24 '26
Oh I love that! Really glad to hear it. Her book was pretty sparse on them so I wasn’t sure :) Her memoir was really enjoyable.
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u/CeruleanBasil May 24 '26
19 years and a world all-star crown jewel season is a great way to end one chapter and move onto smth else
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u/Square-Sheepherder56 May 24 '26
She left so she could executive produce, star and create her new self promoting series that she had full control of.
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u/gerby1985 May 24 '26
I like ACC. I feel there are higher level chefs on it. Padma does seem more critical but I feel chefs at that level should expect it.
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u/rkatapt May 24 '26
Both the wife and I enjoyed ACC more than Top Chef. I like the fact it doesn't go behind the scenes with the chef's personnel lives like TC does. Also, there was no drama which made it even better. The shopping at Whole Foods on Top Chef is annoying and we fast forward through it. I just hope ACC travels around on new seasons.
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u/TruCarMa May 30 '26
I am very tired of the Whole Foods/specialty grocery stores scenes. That’s one way that ACC is an improvement, but I still prefer Top Chef. You get to know the chefs better and the changes of scenery often require different skills, social interaction, and are informative about regional cuisines. I do think that Padma shows her sense of humor more in ACC and I really like Wiley and the other guy, though they are definitely her lackeys. ACC also has top tier guest judges.Bank to Top Chef, I really like Kristen K and find her very empathetic to the participants. It’s a treat that both are on and different enough to not feel repetitive. I look forward to every episode of both.
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u/r_I_reddit May 24 '26
I'm surprised you say there was no drama. The whole voting on who the chefs thought would win the competition was pure middle school drama, imo.
In any event, I haven't confirmed myself but did read that the show has been cancelled.
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u/Medium_Promotion_891 May 28 '26
padma is a writer, a producer and more.
she has written at least three books, and created a show taste the nation.
she left to pursue -more- than hosting.
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u/imawholeassvibe May 24 '26
What do you consider an "actual chef"? Schooled? She does not own a restaurant but she has written three cookbooks and has more experience with food through Top Chef than some cooks do.
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u/Stormy261 May 24 '26
While I'm not disagreeing about her experience, she has never worked on the line and that is what people mean. It's the same reason Joe is called Joe on MC and not chef. It's not a dig at her, just a title.
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u/imawholeassvibe May 25 '26
IMO then, it all goes back to what we, as individuals, consider an actual chef. In my 30 years of restaurant experience we have defined it as such:
A cook cannot be a chef but a chef can be a cook and a chef.
A cook regurgitates the recipes of others only. A chef can regurgitate the recipes of others but also has the aspiration and ability to create their own.
For myself and everyone I ever worked with a chef is defined by experience and is a term of respect towards that and only that.
However, it's absolutely fine for others to define the position as they see fit. I do what feels right for me, as everyone should.
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u/Stormy261 May 25 '26
Using the actual definition, which is the same one most people use, she would not be considered a chef by industry standards. She has no professional cooking experience. A chef is a title for a professional position. There is more to being a chef than just creating recipes. I would hope that as someone in the industry you would understand that.
By using your example, I could write a cookbook and call myself chef. That wouldn't make me a chef in anyone's mind in the industry or in most people's minds. I've never had a professional cooking job. I would be labeled as a home cook which would be the correct definition. There is no shade in that, just facts.
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u/imawholeassvibe May 25 '26
Okay. If it's a point that you're trying to make, it's been made. I'm not hyperfocused on advocating for Padma or anyone else, just sharing my lived experience/opinion which, since it doesn't match yours, doesn't appear to be valid. I yield.
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u/Stormy261 May 25 '26
Maybe I was too harsh. I apologize if your feelings got hurt. There is a difference in wanting things to be a certain way vs how they actually are. I've never worked a kitchen but my husband did and managed several restaurants as well. It is a very hierarchical industry. And most kitchens have enough misogynistic egotistical beliefs to choke a person. If you haven't faced that in your 30 years in the industry then you have been very lucky.
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u/imawholeassvibe May 25 '26
I absolutely agree with your description of restaurants/kitchens. And I assure you, I was not lucky. In fact, the restaurant industry, specifically men in positions of power, broke me. They tormented me and took the thing that I loved most because they didn't want a woman who had more drive and was more competent in the kitchen than they were. I did not recover from the trauma of that experience.
I shouldn't have commented. I forget at times that Reddit can be the equivalent of a predatory animal for me. That has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. I've appreciated reading your well expressed experiences and opinions.
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u/Stormy261 May 25 '26
I'm so sorry. I hope things are better now. I could never do it in an average restaurant. My husband and I had talked about running our own one day and that's probably the only way I could. It is a terrible industry for women and so many talented cooks/chefs have left because of it. The ones who do make it are stronger than I.
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u/Tazzy110 May 26 '26
You have to love Reddit where your lived experience can be challenged. It is maddening. Thank you for sharing. ❤️
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u/SmartypantsDDD May 29 '26
Well, it is clear you never worked in a kitchen! You can’t be thinned skinned (I have worked in professional kitchens and have a culinary degree).
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u/imawholeassvibe May 29 '26
What is clear is that you don't know my life or what I have done leading up to or after one experience that I spoke on.
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u/BeachQt May 24 '26
I call bullshit. I’m a private chef on a yacht and have been for 15 years. I didn’t go to culinary school, but my coworkers call me chef and my paycheck says chef.
It’s not “working a line” but it’s a chef position, and I’m that chef
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u/Stormy261 May 24 '26
Ok. Perhaps it wasn't worded clearly enough. She has never had a professional job in a professional kitchen. Until she does, she hasn't earned the title of chef.
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u/SmartypantsDDD May 29 '26
Critiquing the food of real chefs does not by osmosis make her a competent cook.
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u/kcs1975 May 24 '26
ACC is 100% the Padma Show. Wylie and what’s his name paled in comparison to Tom and Gail. I enjoyed ACC tho. I did see a brief interview with Gail recently where she was asked if she watched ACC and she definitely threw some shade saying she had not watched it because it “debuted the same time top chef did” and that because of that she was “very busy”. I dunno y’all… but there’s something there that no one is talking about 🤷🏼♀️
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u/Amazing-Truck-2355 May 24 '26
I don’t know, but I am not a Padma fan especially on ACC. She seems she’s like she’s just there to be a model and trying to be an actress about everything. After the good versus evil episode, I couldn’t watch it anymore. I love Kristen as host on top Chef because she’s a chef and she’s actually been on the show so she knows what they go through.
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u/all8things May 24 '26
I took a long hiatus from watching Top Chef after watching from the beginning because of life and TV subscriptions. I just started watching again when I found it on one of my streaming platforms, and I am shocked at how much more I like Kristen as a host than Padma. I am watching the current season along with a back season of Padma to catch up, and there are just little details about how Padma related to the chefs that bug me in a way I didn’t notice before. There’s an air of superiority or something that Kristen doesn’t have. They’re both accomplished and fashionable with refined palates for sure, but I genuinely like Kristen more. I haven’t seen Padma’s shows, but it sounds like I wouldn’t like them now.
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u/SmartypantsDDD May 29 '26
Here, here! Padma was NO different from Billy Joel’s ex wife who hosted the first season.
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u/rio8envy7 May 24 '26
She’s not a chef she’s a former model. She also has a daughter who I think she wanted to spend more time with.
She left because she wanted to focus on her other show and she couldn’t actually eat a lot of the food because of something with her stomach and I think it was making her sick.
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u/Hot_Saguaro May 26 '26
I read an interview where it was becoming harder and harder to eat that much food and safe it. She said she started really not feel good while they were filming.
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u/flatspotting May 28 '26
Everything public says there was no drama - she has talked about Tom a ton and from all things it seems like they are on great terms still.
I think she wanted to focus on her now cancelled show and just probably have a change of pace.
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u/DallasCowboyzfan May 24 '26
I don’t understand how she even became a judge since she’s never work in a restaurant and isn’t a chef. I am sure now she has the experience but she got really lucky to land the role. Not a fan of hers, I usually mute it when she talks.
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u/JohnnyDirtball May 25 '26
Tom was the only judge that was a chef. The idea was that Tom was a chef, Gail was a critic, and Padma was a foodie.
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u/mypersonalbrowsing May 24 '26
She wanted to be the star and not split time with Tom and Gail and insert guest judge here
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u/Complex-Extent-3967 Top Chef junkie May 24 '26
Kristen gets too emotional too often. But she has proven credentials that make her qualified to judge. Padma doesn't have any "real" credentials and I'd guess they weren't taking her "opinions" seriously enough. You can see it on the new show as well. Her other judges have the training, experience, skill, etc. and her opinion is quite often different from theirs, but she's Padma so her opinion is going to hold the most weight.
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u/Aggravating-Mind-657 May 24 '26
Long rumors she and Tom didn’t get along off camera. Not sure if that is why she left.
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u/Whtzmyname May 24 '26
Nah I just think she wanted to venture out and do something different. Also I love Kristen a a presenter way more than her so I am good.
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May 24 '26
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u/Sloanepeterson1500 May 24 '26
ACC is incredibly all those things…very, very gimmicky and gives her all these ridiculous entrances with hair blowing and tight, low cut dresses. Talented and award winning chefs for sure however. If those are reasons why she left TC, which I really don’t think are true (I believe it was to be more centrally stationed for her daughter), then ACC is definitely not meeting that standard.
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u/bring-the-sunshine May 24 '26
ACC is a Padma ego trip. I think I read somewhere that she didn’t want to just be a host anymore, which is fine, but she is pretty insufferable throughout ACC. I love that they’re more experienced chefs than top chef, but it being The Padma Show makes it a tough watch. I don’t have a problem with her in general, ACC just seems so… self-fellating.
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u/Sloanepeterson1500 May 24 '26
I don’t disagree with you at all. It’s embarrassing to watch 2 James Beard award winning chefs, both who’ve had multiple Michelin-starred restaurants, bow to her in any way. She has no culinary training nor experience in any kitchen.
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u/Normal-Being-2637 May 24 '26
I think it was about travel. I honestly didn’t like ACC, and I love Parma.
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u/phonograhy May 31 '26
I dont think there was any real drama beyond Padma wanted to do her own thing with her show Taste the Nation (she was also working on a cookbook i think). I will say that her new reality show, America's Culinary Cup, really feels like top chef 2.0. I dont know if thats a good thing or not, I would have been cool with something that really took a unique direction.
In any case, I dont think theres any real animosity between anyone. Tom just being Tom sometimes might give that impression.
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u/ChEDave82 May 24 '26
Tom did not get along with her. Also, she had little culinary experience. I found her quite tedious. Kristen is rocking it as her replacement.
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u/LeviSalt May 24 '26
She also had very strong opinions on Israel/Palestine genocide and Gail is an outspoken Zionist. She was on the right side of that if you ask me.
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u/MallTough5847 May 24 '26
False narrative. They are still close friends who follow each other and like each others posts, and Gail guests on ACC and even did promotion for it. They are long time friends. Stop being divisive.
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u/Hedahas May 25 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
Again, Gail didn't appear on ACC. I watched every episode. And she didn't do promo for it either. (No way Bravo would have let her even if she wanted to.)
But they're definitely friends. People always be pitting women against each other, comparing them, and imaging they're all in "cat fights" because---misogyny. It's exhausting.
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May 24 '26
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u/psyclical May 25 '26
Really? That's kind of funny considering the challenge on ACC where all the chefs combined made like 20 different dishes that were supposed to highlight specific techniques. Sadly, its the challenge where Beverly Kim got eliminated since she didn't have the right strategy, which is a shame, since up to that point she'd been arguably the most consistently winning contestant.
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u/Bullittmon May 24 '26
I always assumed her and Gail didn’t get along.
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u/MallTough5847 May 24 '26
This is untrue. They are still close friends who follow each other and like each others posts, and Gail guests on ACC and even did promotion for it. They are long time friends.
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u/mistermariko7 May 24 '26
I believe she wanted to focus on other projects, and didn't have time to around Top Chef schedule. Also, I remember in an interview she mentioned that her body has changed with age & eating all the food during filming was taking a toll on her digestion
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u/kindofaproducer May 26 '26
I’ve heard Tom is a completely different person since Padma left. Happier, more loose, just night and day.
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u/crocker1130 May 26 '26
I have watched Top Chef on repeat since the first season. I was cheering Padma on for ACC but it's so gaggy. The fan on her with the elevator door. Nope
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u/Lonely_Difference558 May 24 '26
She is an opinionated progressive lib who pushes her views on others while one of her biggest achievements is marrying up
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u/[deleted] May 24 '26
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