3 times Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi clapped back at body-shaming trolls

Season 20 of Top Chef is in full swing, and fans are loving what is happening on the show. While the show has a lot of fans who love the contestants, the judges, and the host, there are some who have been trolling quite heavily Top Chef season 20's judge and host Padma Lakshmi. The author, model, and chef has been trolled and body-shamed quite mercilessly by people on social media.

The Indian-American model has been body-shamed and trolled over the years. The most recent being earlier this year when a netizen complained about her b**ast-related jokes. People have also targeted her posts on Instagram and criticized her for her clothes.

Lakshmi made an appearance at the TIME 100 Gala on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, and shared her thoughts on the trolling and body-shaming she faces. She discussed the comments she gets after she posts her kitchen tutorial videos on social media. Lakshmi said that like nearly every person on the planet, she also has b**asts and n**ples, and asked people to be a "little more grown-up about it." The TV presenter also said that people need to accept that a woman's body is beautiful and isn't always perfect and filtered at all times.

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The Top Chef host was trolled for her clothes when she shared her quarantine recipes

The Top Chef season 20 host has been the target of trolls on social media, especially for her attire in the kitchen videos. There have been times when she was heavily criticized on social media, but each time, the Top Chef host has managed to clap back at her haters.

Padma Lakshmi posted videos on and off during quarantine to share recipes, try new items at home, and give cooking advice. A video of hers from April 2020 showed Lakshmi in a sleeveless gray dress without a bra. However, trolls slammed her and called her "immoral" for the way she was dressed.

Following this, Lakshmi posed another video where she was making lasagna with white ragu and wearing not one but two bras. In the caption of the video, she states:

"(I got some comments last time that it was immoral for me to not wear a bra in my own kitchen during the quarantine. So those people should be happy to note that I'm wearing two today) But seriously, let's not police women's bodies in 2020 ok?"

However, that wasn't all. In July 2020, Lakshmi's cooking videos were quite successful on social media but she was also criticized for them once again. Her video with US Weekly received a lot of criticism. It was one where she was making Sichuan bok choy and had a sheet of paper new to her cutting board, presumably with some cooking instructions. She was dressed in jeans and a red tank top in the video.

A viewer commented on the video,

“You could not think of another shirt or to do it without the internet printout???”

Padma Lakshmi responded to the comment asking the person why they were even on her page and wondered what happened to them for them to lash out at her.

Over the years, the chef and model has answered trolls with her quick wit and hasn't really let them affect her.

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As trolls accuse Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi of making her daughter "uncomfortable" by her appearance, she claps back

Padma Lakshmi often posts videos and photos that feature her daughter Krishna, who she often refers to as "Little Hands." She posted a video with Krishna in January 2023 that showed Padma cooking while her daughter filmed her. In the video, Laksmi's daughter is seen trying to cover her mother's chest from the camera, and when asked what she was doing, Krishna said that she was "censoring."

While the Top Chef host had a funny response to it, she also wrote in the caption,

"Little Hands: 'Cover your b**bs.' Also Little Hands: *zooms in on b**bs."

While the video was made in jest, several people pointed out Lakshmi's witty remarks to Krishna on social media. One person even said that there is a time and place for the jokes and it was time to take notice when the mother being objectified starts making their daughters uncomfortable.

Responding to the comment, Lakshmi said that her daughter wasn't uncomfortable with Lakshmi or her posts and understood that it was a joke. She added that Krishna doesn't read any of the comments since she wasn't on social media either.

While Padma has been criticized on and off, she always has the perfect answer and is never afraid to give the troll a great response. She is currently hosting season 20 of Top Chef, which has already released eight episodes.

Nine contestants competed in episode 8 for the title and a $250,000 grand prize. They include Ali Al Ghzawi, Sara Bradley, Charbel Hayek, Victoire Gouloubi, Buddha Lo, Tom Goetter, Gabriel Rodriguez, Amar Santana, and Nicole Gomes. Charbel was eliminated at the end of the episode.

Fans can catch the next episode of Top Chef season 20 on Bravo on May 4, 2023, at 9 pm ET.