Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang - "Big Gay Iconography" (w/ Padma Lakshmi)

Episode Date: December 19, 2018

She is the pollen that every gay bee needs. A crucial character in both Matt and Bowen's New York narrative. A true Icon. Padma Lakshmi joins Matt and Bowen in the studio to discuss culture, both how it has influenced her and how she has influenced it! They talk audiobooks, the platform social media has provided, Duran Duran, and so much more on this groundbreaking episode!---MERCH! MERCH! GET YOUR LAS CULTURISTAS MERCH!https://www.teepublic.com/stores/las-culturistasSUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS TODAY!LAS CULTURISTAS IS A FOREVER DOG PODCAST. LAS CULTURISTAS IS PRODUCED BY EMMA FOLEY.http://foreverdogproductions.com/fdpn/podcasts/las-culturistas/ Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Look, man. Oh, I see. Wow. Bowen, look over there. Wow, is that culture? Yes. Goodness. Wow.

Las Culturistas. Ding dong, Las Culturistas calling. Bowen, I file this one under big day. This is a pretty big day. File it under big day and then put it in the cabinet. Cabinet of my heart. Of your heart. Can I say something?

Yes. Do you remember, do you recall, do you recollect when we hosted a show for our guest? Oh my goodness. And our guest gave a speech to all the performers. Yes. And then she walked away and you said, you turned to me, threw up your hands and said, she's the most cultured person I've ever

seen. Oh, so our guest put on this comedy show, brought champagne for everybody, poured it for everybody, had people pass it around, gave an eloquent eloquent toast, just so gracious, thanking us for being there. Meanwhile, we're just that we're

like why this is so we love inverted and then yeah as soon as the toast and i turn to you i go i'm i'm truly captivated like in in a way that i haven't really crazy that we would ever call ourselves lost culturistas meanwhile my culture is like i've been to Epcot. Yeah. Meanwhile, my culture is You guys are very sweet. I'm going to take you with me everywhere. Listen, we need to come. That's what this is about is we need to join you on your worldly travels. We do.

This is and I just remember the moment too when this moment happened where she just tweeted at us or she followed when she followed me on Twitter. I was at the dentist's office back in Colorado. And you looked down at your little phone. I was about to get a root canal. I was so stressed.

I was like, this is a bad day. What a terrible day this is going to be. I've been there. And then but then you you just turn it all around for me with with within a matter of seconds. I truly I mean that this is the power of this person. And before we get before we get into it, let's just say not only is this person famously the host of the Emmy award winning Top Chef.

And it's 16th season. Yes. Which is insane. Hosted the show since season two. Yes. All right. Award winning bestselling author. Yes.

Activist. Model. Actress. Mother. ACLU ambassador. Hello. Also, wait. I just want to say the season that I got

into Top Chef was five, which was New York, right? Yes. And that was the, that was the year that I moved to New York. That was the year

we started college. Yes. And it was just her, so her, she, like her presence is like very tied into like the fabric of me. Wow, comforting for you.

Well, just me moving to New York, like she was, she was in that mythos in a way. You know what I'm saying? Oh, how nice. So this is true. I was part of your coming to New York story. You were. Your birth story. Your origin story as a New York like she was a she was in that mythos in a way you don't know how nice so this is true I was part of your coming to New York you were your birth story

your origin story as a New Yorker yes it was like well Pat well Padma is in New York with the top chef like I gotta go and here we are if you don't know who we're talking about everyone please welcome Padma Lakshmi hi Padma hello indeed I'm so excited

to be here on this rainy, cold night with you. And we thank you for joining us in Brooklyn. I know, I was just like, where are we? Where truly, like, where are we? Would you call this downtown Brooke? It's Borham Hill. It's nice. It's Borham Hill. You're Michelle Williams's, you're Anne Hathaway's, you're Ethan Hawke's.

All sort of wander around here. You're Matt and Bowen. And Matt and Bowen. And Matt and Bowen. Ethan Hawke is at Brooklyn Inn, which is one of my favorite bars in the neighborhood. He's there all the time. I should say, I think Anne has since moved away. Miss Hathaway.

Miss Hathaway. Although Mr. Birbiglia, I see wandering around in his pajamas. Oh yeah, that's because he's a new dad. He's a new dad, oh. He doesn't get out of his pajamas unless he goes on stage. Sure. And after that, not much.

After that, not much. And even on stage, it's debatable. But anyway, Padma, how often are you splitting time between the coasts? But you're mostly, are you mostly here? I'm not splitting any time between the coasts. I go to LA if I need to, and then when I'm done, I come back. Great. I see my mom, I come back.

If I'm working, that's fine, but I live in New York. I'm such a New Yorker. Through and through. Through and through. Would you say that was your favorite season of Top Chef then? No. No, because I was home.

Usually, I have to go away to film the show and I work so intensely, but at least I'm not home. So I don't have the normal responsibilities of my house or my work or whatever. And when it was in New York, I found I had all the responsibilities of when I'm home with all the responsibilities of being away on location together. No, thank you. And I was just like, this is too much. It's too much. No, but I feel like as the years go by, you seem to be picking up more and more.

Just I mean, I feel like you're just you're out there more and more in this way that is, I mean, inspiring, but also like truly it like defies all sort of like career fatigue like i at this point feel very tired and i'm not even like at nowhere close to that level quote unquote and i'm i'm disgusted at myself for even speaking about myself in these terms but like how how do you so then has it been like what what's been the challenge in managing all that as like things things things grow and grow? Well, it is hard. You know, we've been on air for 16 seasons. And, you know, I also I come at it as a food writer and I'm a writer first. So I always have my writing to, you know, procrastinate against. Yeah, right.

But, you know, it's like an old marriage. You have to keep it fresh. Yeah. Oh, my God. It really is. And, you know, luckily we go to a different city every season, which keeps the show really fresh. And I think, you know, I have been speaking out a lot more

as I've gotten more comfortable in life and feel secure that I've, you know, I'm able to do that. You know, I think when you're young, you're just so afraid people. It's going to not ruin your career, but like, you don't want to, you want everyone to like you because you need them to like you to book you and give you work. And, you know, ours is a personality driven business. And so you're so busy charming people. You sometimes, you know, you forget that you have opinions or, know you have opinions, but you forget that you can express them for greater good. Sure. I guess.

And there was so much to talk about, you know, when I did start talking that I just was like, okay, here we go. Yeah. Wow. I mean, famously, you started the show off that we host a few with Fuck Louis C.K. And it killed. It was a successful stand-up set right then and there. Exactly. Well, I had to like just do one joke because I'm not a comic and I have immense respect for stand-up comics.

And so that show was amazing. And I have to tell you, it was such a fluke. And literally like every single person we asked, unless they were already booked or out of town, said yes. And, you know, you were saying I brought champagne. That's because we weren't paying anyone. We brought pizza and champagne just because to say thank you, you know. And it was so nice that we just put it on Twitter. We didn't even put it on Instagram.

And it sold out. Yeah. Within minutes? Hours. Hours. Hours. Hours. Hours. Hours. And then we had to add a second show, as you know, and everyone said yes again.

Who could? And, you know, it was really like the goodwill in the room was quite palpable and a really great experience for me. Because when we film the show, we do it largely in secret. I mean, it's a whole different thing, you know, the energy. But I started in live television in Italy. I mean, it's a whole different thing, you know, the energy, but I started in live television in Italy. And so I like having, I like doing live TV, but I also like having an audience,

you know, a live audience. So you really, you really feed off of them. And it was wonderful to experience just for a second, what you guys experience all the time or on the road or whatever. That was a really special one though and I will say you did nail it with the lineup.

Thank you. It's crazy that they're all our friends but it is truly the most exciting. Pat Regan and Catherine Cohen. I have a question. How did you find everybody? How did you initially start following everyone? I followed him because of the lip

sync yeah i saw something you had posted some videos some wacky video almost like lying on your side and it was a little he is wacky i'm a wacky one this is a while ago i don't even remember what you were parodying but it was so funny. I'm like, this person is crazy. This person is crazy. And so I just went, bing. And, you know, I had no clue that you guys had a podcast or that, whatever. You know, I just thought you were funny. I also follow this Haitian nurse from, you know, like every now and then I do these random,

you know, yeah. And I just like to see, you know. Because you have to remember, I started out, there was no social media. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, and it's like, I think social media has actually given me a megaphone that brown girls didn't get before the internet. Uh-huh, uh-huh. You know, in this country. country and so for me it was a great um pleasant surprise to find people who were like me out there you know gay asian boy you know like all these people that were my people and it was really nice to find them and so i just go random trolling yes but i mean i knew michelle wolf

and i didn't know her but, but I had seen her work. And a couple of the others I'd also seen. Some I hadn't. And then, but, you know, I, obviously there are other comedians that I know. Like I had gone to see Leslie Jones around that time who was doing standup at Caroline's. I, you know, I love Ali Wong. Ali, the best. Because I also think Asian culture is such that

just to speak up and make fun of anything is so antithetical to how, at least for women, but across the board, you have to be more reserved. Sure, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's the expectation in a way. And so it's wonderful to just discover these people online. And I just thought, you know, there's so many interesting people. Why do we have to pick this pervert?

It's so true. I actually was just talking about it before we got here. And it's also interesting with, like, the whole Kevin Hart stuff. It's like, you know what? We can move on. There's a lot talking about it before we got here. And it's also interesting with like the whole Kevin Hart stuff. It's like, you know what? We can move on. There's a lot of other people who we can have. There's all these other, you know, interesting comics.

There's this, there's that. Oh, wait, maybe we just won't have a host. How about a white man? How about this white man? How about, you know, it's like, hello? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's just, I feel like it's just sort of built into, you have a conversation about something that you have a strong feeling about. And therefore it's like to drive clicks.

It's like, well, let's keep talking about this one thing that everyone's upset about or has an emotion. I didn't think about it like that. But yeah, well, like the Oscar host thing. The big story is we can't find one. And so now it's like we're all on a wild goose chase to find who's going to be the next Oscar host. Meanwhile, everyone is like, me, me. Yeah, hello. It's like, who are you?

We have an online campaign. Like Busyfellas. Yeah. I saw other people too. Millennium Kroll. I think they'd be amazing. I feel like, would you ever do it? I feel like you would be great.

I don't think I would start out that big. She just hosted two shows at the Bell House. I'm feeling pretty good with that. I want to build. Yes. I mean,

there's so many people that are, I think Wanda Sykes would be amazing. Wouldn't that be great? She's so funny. And you never even hear her name discussed.

No. The first White House Correspondents dinner of Obama's, I went to that dinner and Wanda Sykes was doing the roast and she was amazing

probably killed she killed she killed I thought I was gonna pee in my pants oh my god and I wasn't wearing very much

but you know thank god thank god you kept it together but you didn't you wore pants at least no I didn't no I'm kidding no I didn't

you know what it's embarrassing I'm sorry I even brought up my wardrobe because that was my biggest regret. It was a wardrobe malfunction. Oh, hey. The worst place. But we all have them.

When you're a style icon, that happens. I was wearing this chiffon gown, which was really beautiful. And it was two layers of burgundy. And, you know, I just had my little flesh-colored orthopedic thong on underneath so nothing would show.

And, like, everything showed because the lights. Right, we forget about the lights. But luckily, Natalie Portman also had a wardrobe malfunction. She was sitting at the table and her nipple came out. So I was like, okay. Later, I saw in the paper, and I was like, oh, my God, of all, you know. In that light there. It's never like at Pacha at five in the paper and I was like oh my god of all you know

in that light it's never like at Pacha at five in the morning in Ibiza you know in the 90s when everybody's

you know like no one was there it has to be like at the White House a scandalo yeah sure I mean thank god that Natalie Portman

didn't have it together oh my god I love Natalie so much. Do you know her? Yes, I do. She came to Top Chef when we were in Vegas. Oh. And, you know, I think the Vegas season was the hardest for me just because of the heat.

We were there in August. Oh. I don't know. I mean, it was horrible. But she made it better. I'm not a gambler. So, you know, I don't care. You know, I see't know. I mean, it was horrible, but she made it better. I'm not a gambler, so I don't care. I see chips going.

I'm like, those could be a pair of Louboutins right there. Yeah, right there. What a waste. Both times I've been to Vegas, I've performed there, so they've been paying me to go there.

And one time I was on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Still, we know you. It was crazy. I don't want to. They film in Vegas? They film in vegas so it was kind of like it makes sense though a little bit they used to film in like connecticut or something no no they've never shot in la it's always been new york and then it was connecticut

and then i now they shoot in vegas and so i went out there and so i did make a little bit of money on the show okay good but it was so it was kind of like oh i can feel good about like rolling a pair of dice i don't know what i'm doing with but like we'll see how it happens and i lost money but in the grand scheme i was up yeah i would never go like voluntarily yeah well we were shooting there because i think a lot of chefs have big restaurants there and it made sense and um natalie came up from la and she was just so funny. Great. She seems funny to me.

She's really, really funny. I've known her a little bit for a really long time, you know, since she did like V, I want to say V for Vendetta. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love V for Vendetta. And I'm a huge fan of hers. You know, I see, this is scary.

Well, maybe not scary, but when I see, when I'm hanging out with my daughter, Krishna, and we're walking like in the city, in the village or in the East Village or something, like I feel like I'm with Natalie Portman and I'm Jean Reno. You think Krishna has Natalie Portman vibes?

Yes. Wow. Except she has really long hair. To me, in that sense, in her, like, I'm grown up sense, like, she's edgy. It's true. Natalie Portman has always carried herself as if she was in her mid-30s.

And that's to the best way. In the best way. Now, are you trying to raise Krishna to become a certain way, to become a Natalie Portman? No, no. I can't. I couldn't do that if I tried.

To become an activist, a political activist? I's very active. Oh, yeah. Already. She she complained about not having enough lunchtime. And she ran for student council and she got it from her class. And she ran on a platform of, you know, we don't have enough time for lunch and we need more chicken nuggets I was like you don't even eat chicken nuggets at home she's like that's why I need them more at school wow there you go she's able to code switch she knows she's a code switcher she's a code switcher

she's great she's gonna be awesome what does she want to do because last I saw an interview where you said she had pop star aspirations still still going strong. I think we can make it happen. And we as in. We together.

We will manage her. As in the two of us. Yes. Well, after I will play you a song on my iPhone. I can't play it on air. No, no, no. She'll get mad at me. She'll be like, what the hell?

We haven't copyrighted that shit. Mom, you're such an amateur. I'm not making no dollar from this. What the heck? I love that. I think Krishna can just be a mononym. One name. Krishna.

Anonymously as Krishna. Krishna. And then you have some divine aspect to it. Yes. You have a God's name in that. Yeah. You have an accessible name for everyone to pronounce all over the world. Yeah.

In any language. I think this is... Now all she has to do is sing well. Not necessarily. She sings incredibly well. Speaking of Natalie Portman and Popstar, have you heard of Vox Lux?

I'm dying to see it. It looks insane. Is it out? I think it's out. She was doing press actually, so it must be out soon. I can't wait. Is it rated R? I think it's out. I think it's out. She's doing press actually. So it must be out soon. I can't wait. Is it rated R? I think it is because the subject matter is pretty thick.

Very dark. Very dark. Did you hear what it's about? She survives. She's a young girl who survives a school shooting. And so then at the memorial for her friends who passed, she performs a song that she wrote and then they make her a pop star and this video

from the memorial goes viral yeah and then she becomes so she becomes it's a movie that I think it's really interesting it's a comment

it's definitely a comment the intersection of like tragedy with like you know like the Parkland exactly very that sort of yeah

and I think like then it flashes forward many years and Natalie Portman is playing the adult version and she's this sort of like you know pop star we recognize right that's like crazy and has been kind of driven nuts by the fact that like not only is this expectation right of being a pop star but also how she got famous sort of like and the ghosts figuratively and right yeah and then like later on, there's another tragedy that happens

that it's clear that they were mimicking the one from when she was young. It just sounds like a fascinating movie. I can't wait. I saw a clip of it because she was on Ellen, the episode I was on. And I was like, I have to see this movie. Yeah. I love all her movies. I do too.

I'm a huge fan. Love her. I've always loved her. We were in college when Black Swan came out. Right. And that movies. I do too. I'm a huge fan. Love her. I've always loved her. We actually, we were in college when Black Swan came out. Right. And that's one of my favorites.

I did an homage to Black Swan. That's Halloween. You and Krishna. I do remember. Well, Krishna was homaging Angelina Jolie as Maleficent.

Oh, Maleficent. Maleficent is much better at costume than Lara Croft. I don't know. Girl, You told me the pop star don't know you told me the pop star and Padma told me

this in person at the Bell House show too and I forgot already I'm terrible no but I mean you can't see pictures on this podcast but if you go on

my Instagram you can see pictures and videos we had so much fun we were just walking around Soho like yeah we know we look better

than you bitches yeah do people recognize you in costume well yes people actually recognize my voice it's really funny that's interesting like I'll be at a We know. We look better than you bitches. Yeah. Wait, people recognize you in costume? Well, yes. People actually recognize my voice. It's really funny. Wow.

That's interesting. Like, I'll be at a restaurant, and then the person with their back to me will be like, I heard your voice, and I thought that was Jesus, because I'm always saying people's A vocal signature. Wow. That's the timbre. It's the timbre? Yeah.

You do have a fantastic voice. Thank you. And we were discussing before we went on that W Magazine does these celebrity ASMR videos. Padma would be fantastic. She'd be good. And you can't see the photos of her and Krishna dressed up on Halloween.

Podcast famously not a visual medium. But we say that they are. We say they are, but they're not. Okay, here's the thing. Let's talk about Matt for a second. You can see him on my Instagram. Yes, yes, yes. Check out Padma's Instagram.

Check out at Padma Lakshmi. I do. I wanted to, thank you for the thing. Let's talk about Matt for a second. You can see him on my Instagram. Yes. Yes. Yes. Check out Padma's Instagram. Check out at Padma Lakshmi. Yes. Thank you. I want to... Thank you for the plug. I want to talk about... Let's just dig into Matt for a second. Don't you point your finger at me.

No, no, no. Because... I know where this is going. Padma was very playfully ribbing about how you... She was like, one of you doesn't read. And we were like, it's Matt. She knew that going in. But I feel like Matt is able to break down any piece of art in a way that is...

Art? Really? Well, I have... Did you study art? I know what I'm talking about. Did you study art? Well, I was a dramatic writing major. Yes.

And so, like, I am also... I also acted and... Or act and, you know, I do lots of different things. But I... Okay. But you... I think you are able to analyze and break... You're able to give the CliffsNotes version of anything

I think better than most people and I think that you're robbing yourself and other people by not reading more this is a runaway train

I do read I just don't read all the time but you know we have Padma Lakshmi out here thinking I don't read oh no you know

you can also I read very slowly me too I really do and I have started listening to books on Audible and on whatever, audiobooks. And I love them. I love them so much.

And when I was living in LA and auditioning as an actress, I would be in the car all the time. And there was this place that was like a video rental when we had VHS and we rented them. We went to places and got them and came back and then gave them back in a timely fashion. Wow. I like it, dude. But there was like talking book world. Yeah.

And you could get these boxes of like Jeremy Irons narrating Lolita. Wow. Yeah, creepy. And you listened to this in the 90s? Yes. I mean, yeah, when you were- In the late 90s.

Late 90s. Yeah, definitely. Anyway, I think you should start there. I'm going to do audiobooks. And I would love, especially because a lot of the books that I enjoy reading are memoirs. And I love to hear someone read their own. I would love to read your book. Or hear it.

That's what I'm saying. Absorb the book in whatever way that I can. Let i'm sorry i'm trying to you know what it is padma i'm very sensitive and so the last book i tried to read was a little life do you know a little life i've heard of it yeah last book and it's kind of about like it's sort of like a coming of age it doesn't take place in any specific time but it's about um uh are they gay i think it's the 90s um a couple of them are gay it's a group of friends and one of them has like sort of like a debilitating um chronic pain and it's just a really emotional book and i realized like as i've gotten older i've gotten much more sensitive when things affect me and so like when the book got a little thick I had to put it away because it was driving me

like really I'm very sensitive and I'm not saying that stopped me from reading yeah but that was the last book that book

so sad okay I'm looking for something sad to read bro you should read this a little later I'm serious though I this is maybe TMI

but I don't care I I had this massage therapist slash healer come to me. My normal massage therapist had hand surgery. Anyway, so, and I have a little back thing. So anyway, after she finished, she said,

I think you have a lot of sadness to get out of you. Oh my God. And I said, yeah, probably. And so she was saying, if you can't, you know, get it out, you could just go watch a sad movie or something. And I went to watch at 10 a.m. the Julia Roberts movie, Ben is Back. I wanted to bring this up. How was it?

It's what you think it is. It is really heartbreaking. And they both give great performances. I love her. And I don't want to spoil the ending, but I'll just say that it's not a good ending. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City are back. I love that. I love that. Oh, my gosh.

Welcome. And last season's drama was just the tip of the iceberg. You're recording us? I am disgusted. Never in a million years after everything we've been through did I think that you would reach out to our sworn enemy. We were friends. How could you do this to me? I don't trust her. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Wednesdays at 9 on Bravo or stream it on City TV+.

Hey, it's Mike and Ian. We're the hosts of How to Do Everything from NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Each week we take your questions and find someone much smarter than us to answer them. Questions like, how do you survive the Bermuda Triangle? How do you find a date inside the Bermuda Triangle? We can't help you, but we will find someone who can. Listen to the How to Do Everything podcast on iHeartRadio. I felt too seen. Dragged. I'm NK and this is Basket Case. So I basically had what back in the day they would

call a nervous breakdown. I was crying and I was inconsolable. It was just very big, sudden swaps of different meds. What is wrong with me? Oh, look at you giving me therapy, girl. Finally, a show for the mentally ill girlies. On Basket Case, I talk to people about what happens when what we call mental health is shaped by the conditions of the world we live in. Because if you haven't noticed, we are experiencing some kind of conditions that are pretty hard to live in. Because if you haven't noticed, we are experiencing some kind of conditions that are

pretty hard to live with. But if you struggle to cope, the society that created the conditions in the first place will tell you there's something wrong with you. And it will call you a basket case. Listen to Basket Case every Tuesday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Oh, we push record, right? Okay. And this season, we're taking an even bigger bite out of the most delicious food and its history. Seeing that the most popular cocktail is the margarita, followed by the mojito from Cuba, and the piña colada from Puerto Rico.

So all of these... We have, we think, Latin culture. There's a mention of blood sausage in Homer's Odyssey that dates back to the 9th century B.C. B.C.? I didn't realize how old the hot dog was. Listen to Hungry for History as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Like, not as in anything. It's just like, it just stops. Yeah. And you're like, no no i want to know what happens right because the i mean the reality i kind of you know and that's frustrating from like a narrative standpoint because you're like oh man give me this catharsis of knowing what happens good or bad but also i kind of like that kind of comment in a movie like that because that is something that families all across our country it's it's a epidemic right now. They're going through it right now.

And it does end with an ellipsis. Yeah. So I do kind of love that. Do you know what Ben is Back is about? I vaguely. So Lucas just plays Julia Roberts' son. And he has been in drug rehab. I was going to say.

And he gets hooked on drugs as a teenager, like 14. Yeah. And we learn that in the movie. And so he's done everything. He's dealt. He's like broken into his own mother movie. And so he's done everything he's dealt. He's like broken into his own mother's house. Sure, sure. The neighbor's houses.

And I think, you know, he's gone deep. And so like the whole community knows he's an addict. And it's a rampant problem because throughout the movie, you meet other people who, you know, were just throwing a Frisbee in a cul-de-sac a few years ago. And now they're like these, you know, heroin addicts. And it's really dark. Did not shed a tear, though.

Really? I didn't. So it was just a malaise? I am. I'm normally a sap. So maybe she's onto something. I don't know. Like, I just felt like I really wanted to.

It's why I went to go see the movie. So you have a good cry and like leave it behind. But no, I just, just you know maybe it's because it's like not melodramatic it was very realistic it was super slice of life that's and i like that i mean i like you know did you cry at a starsborne i cried more at a starsborne yeah but that was melodrama yeah it was i mean i kind of I mean it's such the subject is fraught for me because you know I was

in a movie with a a pop star girlfriend we know it's the same story right why are they

I mean if Lady Gaga wanted to be in a movie right just let her be in a movie as you saw she's a good actor right right

I think she did a great job i agree with you you know very nice and kind of on embroidered yes you know and and that was great and you also got to see the beauty of her voice acapella and really understand that you know under all those meat dresses there is this incredible talent. Yes, absolutely. And it turns out she's a great actor too. And for the first part of the movie, Jeff Bridges' way of speaking really was distracting for me. I was like, why is he speaking like that tall guy with the white hair who always plays the character actor in a western or

a Tommy Lee Jones movie and then he comes on and I'm like oh he's playing his brother yes yes so Bradley Cooper as Jackson Maine aka Jeff Bridges is doing it's doing it Jeff Bridges basically but I mean based on why wasn't Jeff Bridges in it that was Jeff Bridges

crazy heart yeah yes and and so it's so Jeff Bridges in it. That was Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. Did you see Crazy Heart? It is Crazy Heart. Yeah. Yes. And so It's so... I had the same questions too. And also the line in the script where it was like, you stole my voice. I was like, do we need this? It's so plainly... Etc. But you are 100% dead on.

The ending of Glitter, that is the ending of A Star Is Born. Yeah. It's the same story. Because the ending of A Star Stars Born is just her basically doing a Whitney Mariah moment. Like, literally. It's a Whitney Mariah song, for sure.

I feel like you've always had a sense of humor about Glitter, but is this, is it still a thing where you are, you're watching other media and you are sort of,

still sort of seeing things through that lens of like, oh, well, I was, I was in a version of this and like, does that, how through that lens of like, oh, well, I was in a version of this. And how does that affect the viewing experience? It doesn't affect me at all. I mean, I think in defense of Glitter, it came out 10 days after 9-11.

Right, right. And the soundtrack came out the day of. That's right. Yeah. And it was a really light, popcorn-y movie. You know, do I think it would have been considered Citizen Kane anyway? No, I don't. Yeah, yeah.

But, you know, whatever. It wasn't, you know, the worst thing out there. No. But I do think that, you know, when a performer who has reached, you know, height of, say, Mariah or Gaga, you know, wants to get into movies, like,

I think we should be a little more creative about what they, how we utilize them because I thought the movie was lovely. I thought, you know, they both gave great performances. Um, I just wanted to see more. Yeah.

I get that. You knew what was going to happen. You did. I mean, it's a very sort of mythic sort of thing where it's like everyone knows this story so well. And I feel like it does sort of, we've talked about this. It's an archetype, right? Yeah, totally.

You know, it's a version of, you know, there's that myth. Then there's the pretty woman myth of someday my prince will come you know it's yeah so you liked Ben is Back despite like

I really liked it I wish you wish it was sadder sadder and darker sadder sadder sadder and darker

I know that's odd to say I was going in with a certain intention and destroy me film yeah it takes a specific kind of film I'm not a crier and it takes I was going in with a certain intention Destroy me film Yeah It takes a specific kind of film

I'm not a crier and it takes a very specific kind of Sentimentality to get this I mean I remember crying in Out of Africa Oh okay I mean that was beautiful It's Sophie's Choice I bawled like a baby I cry at happy things.

Maybe try that. Maybe try like, maybe try this. Like I'm a healer now. Wait, have you seen Big Fish? Yes, I love that movie. It's a very nice movie. It's so sweet and it's so magical.

So magical. So beautiful. Don't you think movies are missing that now? Yes, like Princess Bride. Yes. Or just good scripts like Fish Called Bride. Yes. Yes. You know, or just good scripts like Fish Called Wanda. Oh, yeah.

Jamie Lee. I was on I was on some red carpet and someone was like, so what's your favorite holiday movie? And, you know, they ask you these questions

and you're like, uh, I don't really watch movies that are just you know, like say something, say something. And I was like,

well, what's your favorite movie? Fish Called Wanda. Yeah. Great. That's a good one. That's a really good answer. Such a juicy one. Yeah.

I, you know, I pulled the ripcord early and showed it to Krishna a couple of years ago. I cannot watch another fucking copy of Sleeping Beauty. I'm going to stab myself with a fork. Put him away. Okay, Matt, at this point, you know how obsessed I am with Everlane. You? What about me? And you know, too.

I have the obsession as well. I've caught the bug. And you're wearing some Everlane head to toe right now. Literally, my denim is Everlane. My cashmere shirt is Everlane. My jeans are Everlane. Yes, hon. I'm a dressed head to toe in Everlane at this moment.

I cannot recommend Everlane enough. You are. I can't. An ambassadoria. I'm an amb are Everlane. Yes, hon. I am addressed to an Everlane at this moment. I cannot recommend Everlane enough. You are. I can't. An ambassadoria. I'm an ambassadrice. Yes. And here's the thing.

It's last minute holiday shopping, folks. And this is a true story. My brother-in-law gets me an Everlane gift card every year. And I know gift cards are like very

passe or whatever. Taboo. Passe taboo. But the fact that it's from Everlane just means that it's all good because it's money that i'm gonna spend well on everlane this is i'm not even reading

ad copy right now i'm just telling you straight up i can say his eyes are straight up looking at me dead in my eyes straight up dead straight up dead his eyes are straight up dead and he speaks from his heart when he talks about everlane and i truly am so happy every christmas when my jewish brother-in-law gets me everlane gift cards and i just go wild i bought i bought like fucking uh i bought i bought the renew line which is made out all their stuff is made of recycled plastic bottles yes i love and literally everywhere i go i'm seeing everyone in these sweatshirts you know who was rocking this our agent our agent was rocking uh everlane like fleece oh great that I recognized from the website. And of course, you know,

I ran into my girl Marie Faustin at the Forever Dog holiday party the other night. She was rocking one of these. You know, it's not just taking the Forever Dog Podcast Network by storm because now we're talking about it to everybody. Hell, we're talking about it to you guys. Everlane is where it's at.

Hell. Hell. So here's what you're going to do. You're going to fulfill your last minute shopping fulfillments. Fulfillments. You're fulfilling your fulfillments. Fulfillments.

And you can check out our personalized collection. There's Matt's picks. There's Bowen's picks. Literally in a grid for your enjoyment. And if you don't even like us you can see

Food for Thoughts picks. Oh I mean. Those gay boys. Those gay boys. So here's what you're going to do. You're going to check out our personalized collection or shop on your own

at everlane.com slash ding dong. Plus you'll get free shipping on your first order. That's everlane.com forward slash ding dong. Everlane.com forward slash ding dong. D-I-N-G-D-O-N-G. So that you can look ho, ho good. Do you have a favorite movie that's come out this year? Like it's nowcar season have you seen anything that you're like oh hell yeah black panther yes should win every oscar i agree i agree

that it's powerful and it's like it is a game changer it was so exciting to see the costumes the hair the cinematography the battle. Just everyone being not white. I love movies with white people. It's all I've ever seen. Let's shake it up. I just like, I want to see. It was so great. I saw it four times in the first week it came out.

I went to the premiere and Leslie Jones was like three rows behind me. And I wish I could take Leslie Jones to every movie. She was so funny screaming at the screen. And because it was a really packed crowd, it was just such a fun experience. And then I wanted to take Krishna. So I grabbed her out of school, took her straight from school to the movie

with her book bag, like at 3.30. Then we went to my cousin's house over the weekend and I have two nephews who are around her age. I took them to see it. Yeah. Right. And a couple of those times we're in 3d as well. I just say,

I love, I love the, the soundtrack from Kendrick Lamar. And at my boxing gym, like they're like, we can't possibly play this anymore. Like, yes,

you can. You're from Africa. What are you talking about? Absolutely. Wakanda forever. That means forever. It's actually rule of culture number seven. Wakanda forever means forever.

I think it's a movie that like rewards repeat viewings truly. I saw it twice. And the first time I saw it, I had a bad experience because it was a packed theater. Thank God. But I just had this group of like rowdy ass children with like some baby some caretaker type like babysitter type just like sitting there sort of letting them run amok and like being on her phone totally and I just like I literally couldn't take in what was going on and I was like and then by the end I see you dirty au pair yeah bad au pair I walked out I was like I oh, no. I don't think I understood what was happening.

Because of all the chatter. Because of all the chatter. I didn't have an opinion on the movie. And I was like, I have to see this again just to clean, just to know what this is. And this sounds so crazy just talking about it now, but literally walked out of that the first time not having an idea of what it was.

No, but yeah. But then seeing it again, I also just picked up on the things that I had taken taken in the first time it's just an incredible movie it has one of the most beautiful powerful um scenes of the year i think which is you know spoiler alert right now if you haven't seen black panther you probably have billions have but that scene where michael b jordan dies at the end and it's so beautiful i mean it's it's it's just like wow it's just it's just so above and beyond because you could have made a black panther and you could have done the superhero movie but they made that art yes that's better than any marvel movie i've ever seen 100 and i mean also the the women characters

were not appendages they were all different yes had all different personalities you know they were so um in their own essential selves yeah you know they had inner lives and that's something we don't usually see and i say like you know people are talking about michael b jordan for a supporting actor nomination which you know i think he's one of the most famous so that makes sense but deny guerrero she is stunning movie if youira she is stunning 100% and I was like this is someone who's multi multi talented and she's a playwright I didn't know she was an actress as powerful

as this I saw her in Eclipse oh isn't that the play that she wrote yeah she was amazing and I saw it when it was at Joseph Papp theater the public theater

yeah yeah I saw it there before it went to Broadway uh huh it was so powerful wow and everyone Lupita Nyong'o

was in that too everyone in that cast was so fantastic yeah wow it was brilliant I mean that's the thing

like I want to hear other stories yeah which is why I read which is why you read and I will read as well Fantastic. Wow. It was brilliant. I mean, that's the thing. Like, I want to hear other stories. Yeah. Which is why I read. Which is why you read. And I will read as well. You two have to go see Slave Play. Jeremy O. Harris. It's at the New York Theatre Workshop.

We're going together. We're going together. No, I can get us tickets. I'll try to get us tickets. No, but seriously, it's... Josh Sharpe and I went. We walked away from that thinking. And he's a guy who knows theatre, our friend.

Yeah. But we were both like, that's the best piece of theater I've ever seen in my life. Like truly so smart, leaves no stone unturned when it comes to like, there's something that happens in the play that like just blows your mind. And like, that's all I can say, but like truly,

I'm getting everyone at work like into it. Like Colin came over to me, he was like, I think I'm gonna go see Slave Play this weekend. Cause like you're so into it and you're so, you're like its biggest cheerleader the thing is I can't so it starts out with these vignettes of like sexual sort of it's essentially like you like you think it's about like sexual subject subjugation in antebellum times um and then it just like it becomes it becomes all these other things and truly such such such an inspired piece of work by Jeremy O. Harris.

Check him out. He's he's he has a career. He's writing the show that Alan Cumming is in called Daddy. Oh, that's off Broadway. It all takes place in a swimming pool on stage. That's all people know about it so far. But everyone's like losing their minds over it. They're like, it's going to be great.

Like, we don't know what it's going to be, but like, it's going to be something brilliant. So anyway. I always say we need more pools on stage. We do need more pools on stage. That's rule of culture number 12. We need more pools on stage. But I think, I just want to,

I want to ask Padma this before we get into the central question of the show. You can ask whatever you want. I'm just always stunned at just the way that you're able to just not only talk about food like you do on on top chef and like just in regular sort of life i guess and the way you write about it but also i just feel like you are someone who is so able and so adept at taking in all different types of culture and this is a culture show which is a very broad definition of like everything basically like yeah what we consume um in all forms is there

are you what is your discerning element and like picking out things that you like or dislike or just like what like how do you figure out what to give attention to is what I'm asking, basically. It's hard. You know, things go across our screens now at a velocity that it's hard to really absorb them. But I think some things always bubble up, whether that's an issue or a new thing. Lately, I think there's been such a lack of common sense. So I'm attracted to things that are just like, it's a stupid example. Okay. But in microcosm, very microcosm, like I posted a picture of this toast with peanut butter. I know you didn't know what I was going to say.

And pomegranate, like last minute, late at night on a weekend. And you never know. And that thing, we've had like hundreds of people posting those pictures and sending them to us and we repost them and every you know i've just done press for top chef because it just premiered kentucky um last week right and um every single interview i did from from busy to like buzzfeed i, I mean, everything. I mean, I was on Access Hollywood. I got there, they greeted me. It was eight in the morning.

With the toast? With the toast, look, we made this for you. I'm like, thank you so much. And it's just become this random thing because I think it tapped into something that was so familiar, put in a different way together. Wow. And I think, you know,

and I think that's what attracts people to, to, you know, anything I say or do. I don't, I don't discriminate between, you know, the importance of tradition or what's better or, you know, food and politics, I think, and womanhood and parenting and family and all of that, I don't think it's any different. I treat everything with the same interest because if I'm not interested in it, then I leave it behind. Right, right. But, you know, it's funny to hear you say that you were a drama student.

I was a theater major in college as well. And so I think when you think, you know, leaving aside the performance aspect of it, when you try to find a key into someone, you look at, you know, what are the things they're drawn to? What are the things they like? And that collection of opinions forms who they are because it's informed by what they've gone through. And I think it's very important. And, you know, social media is really bad and evil. However, for me, it's been a way to control my narrative

and talk about things that I don't get to talk about on Top Chef because the show is so formatted. And, you know, in order to do my job well and make sure everybody gets heard and the business of the show gets through, you know, you don't really see a lot of me. I mean, you see my opinions about food in an analytical way. But so it's been great for me to, I used to write, I used to, I had a syndicated column

for a bit and then for the New York Times. And I also did a style column in Harper's Bazaar. And so I come at everything as a writer, mostly. Like whether it's plays or movies, I'm always listening for the script. And I think, what the hell was my point about this? Oh, well, just controlling my own narrative. And I think it's more interesting to see what a full person is like. And I can be that in Instagram or Twitter or whatever.

Especially because, you know, like when I would imagine that when you are Padma Lakshmi and you are like up on this pedestal of being like the top chef host who has this like cultured opinion about food and all these things. It's like, you know, you do you, there would be a part of you that wants to express to everyone, like get to know the real me. I also have like, I'm interested in comedy.

I'm interested in these things. I like these films. Yeah. Yeah. It's true. I mean, look, I'm very proud of,

of the show. And I'm, you know, like I, I am genuinely an egghead about food. Like I published an encyclopedia for God's sake, you know, you know, it's not even like food. I published an encyclopedia, for God's sake. You know what you're talking about. On spices.

Just spices and herbs. Not even everything else. I couldn't believe the spices and herbs book. I was like, there's a whole book about this. Yeah. Well, I wanted one to exist, and I really couldn't find a good one. So I was like, darn it, I'm going to write one. Darn it, yeah.

And now everyone knows about green mango powder. Yes. And now everyone knows. Truly, that was crazy for me. That really blew knows about green mango powder. Yes. And now everyone knows. Truly, that was crazy for me. That really blew it open. So good. Green mango powder, especially in fried chicken crust. It's delicious because you have the sourness already in.

Yeah. You put it into the batter, basically. Yeah, like whatever mix. And I put like Rice Krispies in there and cornflakes and breadcrumbs and all that. So you like dredge it in that and you season that. You season that with salt and cayenne and green mango powders. I love that. Secret ingredient in there.

So this season takes place in Kentucky and obviously you think like every year it gets influenced by this city or place that it's in. So here you are like in Kentucky. Does that mean a lot of fried stuff? And are you eating all of it I'm not eating all of it

I ate a good fair amount yeah I ate my share of it the first half of filming and then I was like girl you are eating so much food

like I always eat a lot on on set right but I do want to try the local specialities of wherever I'm going so I did

I had all these pork pies and banana croquettes. And I was having mint julep slushies with bourbon. And then like the second week, I was like, I don't feel so well. Yeah, no. Wait, a mint julep done right is A+. But between you and Tom, you're eating much more than he does.

I eat double what he does. That's crazy. That wimp. Honestly, because I'm there.imp i mean he's there for the first quick fire at the season but i'm there for every quick fire yeah he just breezes in every other day yeah and gail's out the whole season yeah yeah she's out i actually saw her last night um i was at andy's holiday party and she looked great great um she you know she was very pregnant right and because the second up was was

the the quickfire was for her was like her craving did you see her torpedo belly i was like this is a joke no she gave birth two days after that oh my god two whoa was it twins that was a huge no it looked like twins but no it looked like twin belly he has a beautiful boy yeah well congrats to gail so do you feel like okay so obviously you can't like have favoritism but every season are you like oh i'm definitely pulling for that person or do you stay pretty removed are you like a rupaul about about i'm very rupaul about it you know i am because like i i just honestly i just judge them on their food yeah and then when they make a stupid mistake I'm like oh you're so capable

of more than this like you know you're rooting for all of them in a sense to get out of their own way you know now and again there's the annoying person you're like alright but you know like for the most part I luckily stand by all the

decisions that we've made at the time we made that right right um i think this season is is is no different like you wind up rooting for the three or four that at like mid-season you know are doing consistently well and it's interesting to see their cooking styles and and how they differ and how they interpret the local ingredients or whatever i don't know i'm i get super um into the weeds about stuff like that like i love you know and when it's at that level especially the later episodes it really is like oh well if there was only one more leaf of parsley it gets truly because you have nothing else to judge it on right you know whatever

just in the first quickfire of this season it was just like everyone was pretty solid and it was like well what do you do we just nitpick it and that's when you realize

like it's the true elite like you also slayed your episode of RuPaul's Drag Race yes thank you I mean you were so good and also you did not

hold back I think even the queens were like um Padma well I wanted to be constructive yes I'm not doing any of them a favor.

If I'm just like, well, your makeup was a little, you know, and I got really into that shit because I'm already deep into that shit at home. Sadly, I was away filming something.

So I had bought tickets, but I couldn't go. So I made Krishna's dad take her to drag con. Oh my God. In New York or LA? Yes, in New York. And she's like, mom, that was great Oh my God. In New York or LA? Yes, in New York. Yeah.

And she's like, mom, that was great. But next year you're going. I'm like, listen, your dad gets a gold star just for. Just for like braving that whole scene. Well, not braving it, but you know. It's so many people. It's families. It's so many families.

He doesn't know what's happening. It's like seeing me at a golf tournament. Yeah, right. Exactly. So you're the PGA tour. Sure, sure, sure. Oh my God. Oh my God.

Everyone would have been gagged to see you there I do you golf no we're talking about drag con we're talking about drag con girl

we are already planning our outfits yes we just we have a penchant for penchant we have a penchant

for dressing up at home yes so like we start planning our Halloween costumes at like, I don't know, Easter. Wow.

So much like that. Literally. Like we go to M&J Trimmings. We have our hot glue guns on. We have like, we only have four packets of clear glue sticks versus fabric glue sticks.

I think we better get some more. It's a challenge. It's so much fun. It's so much fun. Was that the first or second episode of All Stars that you were on? It was like, you were on early. Were that the first or second episode of All Stars that you were on

it was like you were on 10 were you on 10 or were you on All Stars 3 I was on season 10 season 10 you were 10 but it was early

in the season yeah and you know he's so funny and I got to know him really well because it was a really long day yeah

and he was so great we became friends from that I had known him a little bit again for a long time. Yeah. Right. I would see him at Emmy things or, you know, just in L.A. or whatever.

And through that filming, we became friends. And he's really cool. You know, he was very sweet. He said he drove to all the Mac stores in the Los Angeles area and bought everyone out of my brown eyeliner. Oh, my God. I was like, girl, it's really hard to find a brown that turns up on. I was like, I know. That's why I'm reading it.

So your brown works on him really well? Yeah. Yeah. My brown. I had a, I did a, I designed a makeup line for Mac earlier this year. And he, you know, he just loved it because I love makeup. I'm like this step away from being a drag queen if you let me go. If we're really there

we're going to have a full contour. Honestly. Absolutely. Rage contouring. Yeah, right. Rage contouring. Okay, so let's ask the question that we ask every guest and I can't wait to hear Padma's answer. So this is the question of our show which is what is the culture that made you say,

culture is for me? The pop culture that was defining in your life that from a young age, like, still is a touchstone that you can call back to? You know, I didn't want to go to college until I watched A Different World. Wow. You know, my parents were always like,

study hard, study hard. I was like, yeah, whatever. You know, when I hard, study hard. I was like, yeah, whatever. You know, when I saw A Different World, I was like, wait, you get to live away from your parents? Yeah,

interesting lives away from them that they don't have to know what I do. Wow. I haven't seen it. I've never seen A Different World.

Oh, A Different World is a classic. It is the spinoff when Lisa Bonet got kicked off of Cosby for being sexually too out there by Bill Cosby for being sexually too out there by Bill Cosby.

The irony in that. For doing Angel Heart directed by Milos Forman with what's his name, Mickey Rourke. That was a sexy movie. They did not get along. Lisa and Mickey Rourke? No, no, no.

Lisa and Bill Cosby. And so basically they knew Lisa Bonet was a star and they said, well, we're going to do this other show in a different world. Good for her, yeah. And so you watched A Different World

and you were like, oh, this is, I want to be Lisa Bonet. Culture and college is for me. Yes, totally, totally. But like my culture, all my cultural touchstones start from TV. So really I am the generation of MTV. MTV started right at the time I was hitting puberty.

And I was like, what? I remember watching Cindy Lauper. I remember when we didn't know who was going to be the bigger star, Cindy Lauper or Madonna. It was a Britney and Christina moment. Yes, yes. But I mean Michael Jackson,

I remember being scared at watching Thriller. Like really like, oh, maybe I shouldn't watch it and not being able to fall asleep after. I wish we still had that novelty around things like that. I know. Now, you know, like I grew up with music videos. I remember Annie Lennox, all that stuff. But it was always TV.

Like I grew up, I say that Oprah was a second mother because you know I would come home from school and watch Oprah we all did we all watched Oprah and baked potatoes

in our new microwaves right that's so funny yeah microwaves really came out around the time of MTV

Madonna yes Madonna and microwaves rose at the same time truly it's rule of culture number 14 Madonna and microwaves rose at the same time truly it's rule of culture number 14 Madonna and microwaves

rose at the same time actually no I think it's literally like there are articles about this about how Velveeta came out the same time that MTV did

and like like making homemade nachos was like went hand in hand no Velveeta was before really okay I'll defer to you

I think so I may be wrong but you can make Velveeta at home yeah no right I mean without Velveeta without. I may be wrong, but you can make Velveeta at home. Yeah, no, right. I mean, without Velveeta. Without Velveeta? With real cheese.

Like you can, as long as you add sour salt, like citric acid. Oh my God. To cheese, grated cheese. It'll melt better. Isn't there some irony in a way where it's like you're making cheese,

like actual cheese into something sort of worse no because you want it to melt I mean here's a real true confession please I like those nasty movie theater nachos me too like hot cheese because it's so creamy

I love it but I won't get it unless they have the pickled jalapenos like more like you know I'm gonna get through unless they have the pickled jalapenos. Yes, yes, yes. And I was like, more. No, more. Like, you know I'm going to get through half these chips. Oh, my God. And all these jalapenos are going to be gone.

This is the beginning of an I don't think so, honey. I think the jalapenos have to be there because otherwise it's just sodium on tortilla. On rubber. On rubber. It's very basic without it. It's very basic without it. Very basic without it. But I love it, that hot cheese that you almost burn your fingers sticking into. Do you have a favorite music video from that time?

Yes. Hungry Like the Wolf. Wow. They filmed it in Sri Lanka, I think. Duran Duran. Duran Duran was good. Then, you know, years later, I mean, I wasn't like the biggest freak. I didn't have posters and stuff because I was so teenage.

I was already like in my mid-twenties when I was a freshman't like the biggest freak. I didn't have posters and stuff because I was so teenage. I was already like in my mid-20s when I was a freshman, like mentally and emotionally. But I did love Duran Duran. So later when I actually was 22 or 24 or something, I was a model. I met Duran Duran and I became friends with them because I don't even remember how. And I don't think I could speak full sentences for like

the first couple of times that I was around them because I was so struck. Is there some quality about Duran Duran that makes them stand out above? I mean they were pretty singular for the time. They had good tunes.

They were the first ones who weren't afraid of being beautiful as men. singular for the times. They had good tunes. They were the only, they were the first ones who weren't afraid of being beautiful as men. Like you, you know, you had all these rock stars and if there were guys

that, you know, yes, Michael Jackson, but he was a whole different thing. Prince and Michael Jackson, yes.

Yes. Yeah. I remember when we thought Prince was the weird one compared to Michael Jackson. Oh yeah. Yeah. Cause he was,

he was like embracing the weird. Yeah. So like, these were the first white men that were actually like, Michael Jackson oh yeah he was like embracing the weird yeah so like these were the first white men that were actually like we're gonna dress

like really fabulous and wear eyeliner and everything but we're straight and I was like you know I

my best friend was gay in high school and so out gay no I mean I knew he was gay and he knew he was gay

but you know he came out to me like on the phone in college. And I was like, okay, I knew that. But I'm glad you told me, you know. But then you were a huge part of his life then, which is. Yeah. I mean, we wound up moving in together and then, you know, and then other stuff happened and whatever. But when I moved back after modeling in the 90s, I used to live in Milan and Paris. And then I moved back to the States

at the end of my late 20s. Yeah. And so I had an apartment with him again for a bit. But I mean, most of my, I'm so embedded in gay culture. You know, I'm just gay without the sex. You are a gay icon. So is that,

do gay men literally throw themselves at you? I'm so happy that they do, though. Yes, just take it. My pollen is what every gay bee needs. Yes, your pollen is what every, that's a title of ep somehow. Pollen that every gay bee needs. Every gay bee needs.

Gorgeous and poetic. I mean, because you get the sense of some people, like it takes them a minute to adjust to being a gay icon. Like even back in the day, like Cher. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You know what I mean? Like she, I think it took a second because even remember when- You think she had to calibrate and adjust to that? Well, when Chaz first came out as a lesbian,

when Chaz was chastity, it was this moment. And Cher's on the record of saying, I felt that I had failed as a parent. And that's Cher. She's 70-something years old. It's a different thing. So that's why.

Yeah. No, I didn't have to adjust. No, you just were in it. I was praying on bended knee for the crown. Where would I be without my gaze? I openly invited it. When I was living on bended knee for the crown. Like I, where would I be without my gays? Like I openly invited it. Like when I was living in Los, I'm from New York and I grew up,

you know, my early childhood here. Cause I came here when I was four, but I was in high school in a suburb of Los Angeles. And in Santa Monica, people who were, you know, around in the eighties in LA will remember this.

There was a gay club on santa monica boulevard where the french market still stands called peanuts peanuts love that and i used to sneak into peanuts when i was in high school wow but it was a really sexy crowd like it wasn't like now i find that you go to gay bars which i do and it's mostly men and a few of the chosen few like me or you go to the cubby hole and that is it which is its own scene

which is fine but my boyfriend doesn't like to go there with me anymore because he said it's worse than fighting off men but I love going everywhere like I want to meet everyone, but they don't, I want,

I want Peanuts in New York again. Let me tell you, let me set the scene. So there, it's a mixed crowd. Everyone smells good and is fashionable. And I'm there

and there are like these very European, elegant women, women, lesbians, women at the bar, I was going to say, who are probably lesbians. Yes. But like very, you know, lipstick lesbians, like, you know, picture like Jane Fonda.

I am picturing Jane Fonda. I love that woman. Yeah. So like, you know, I don't know. Like, it was just cool. And then there were gay men, obviously, but then there were straight couples there. It was the, I let me put it for you it was the era

when Madonna was dating Warren Beatty but really close to Sandra Bernhardt right and all three of them would show up

at Peanuts yes so extend their little menage outward I love that and they would have these dance like

balls and dances. And there was one woman named Paula that, you know, I think she was transgendered, but I was like, there's no way that is a guy.

But I didn't really know about tucking then. Yeah. Maybe it was a guy. You know, I didn't know. So I was really around

that a lot, like at 14, at 15, 16. So, you know, I, I'm very comfortable in that element. Yes. Yeah. Yes.

Cause it was a part of your culture. Yeah, it is. It is really a part of my culture. I mean, I, um, I remember also New York in the seventies,

you know, cause my, we didn't know any better. My mom would let me run around. Like I skated all over the city when I was in fourth grade alone, you know, like, wow.

Yeah. You couldn't do that now, but you know, we, and people would, you know, the kids were carded to these parties, you know what I mean?

Oh my God. Did you ever go to studio 54? Were you? No, no, no, no, not that bad,

but I did go to the, I mean, I would have been seven, but yeah. Just like a whole other thing. But I did, but I did sneak into Peanuts and I remember it was so sexy. And, you know, like I thought maybe I'm a little gay.

Yeah. I think everyone's a little gay. It's a spectrum. Everyone's on the Kinsey. Yes. Yeah. I agree. But, you know, I just, I feel at home there.

Wow. I mean, but this is. A lot of our crew on Top Chef is actually gay. Oh, really? Lovely. You don't get different crews in different seasons. No, in fact, we're like a very tight knit family. We do hire a lot of locals in each city,

but there is a group, a core group of us. Like my stylist is gay. My makeup artist is gay. My assistant on the show is gay. You know? And that's just like my little mini tribe within the larger... Structure of it.

Yeah. I get that from the show. It's weird, but I get like a gay thing from the show. Well, a lot of the chefs are, like come in and they're queer. And there's no... What I think Top Chef has done

that a lot of other reality competition shows didn't used to do was that it didn't make they wouldn't make the the queerness or the sexuality of its of its contestants like central it wasn't a central thing yes which i think is refreshing and even on project runway right yeah it doesn't matter no it doesn't matter it matters but not when cooking right yeah it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman yes exactly right totally when you're watching

Project Runway 2 and you find out one of the designers is straight and it's like whoa whoa whoa what I know

you're like you had to do that with the impediment of like missing style genes one of the winners one of the winners or one of the finalists

was like a straight man who was just like very European and I was shocked I did not realize he was straight until the end and I was like Dimitri or something but finalists was like a straight man who was just like very European. And I was shocked. I did not realize he was straight until the end. And I was like, Dimitri or something. But like, I was like, let's pick Dimitri. But like, he was like so talented.

And I was like, yeah, well, you can contain my students. Gotta open your mind, man. There you go. Gotta read some books. Gotta read some goddamn books. Actually, I, three years late, but I'm on almost like within pages of finishing Ta-Nehisi Coates. Oh, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me? It's so good.

It's so, I've inhaled it. Like I started yesterday. Yeah. And it's great. It makes me want to have a kid. But also it's just suffused in tragedy and racial. It's so right. It's so succinctly and poetically.

It's beautiful. Really renders the situation palpable. Yeah. I read all kinds of funky things. The other thing I read was The Year of Yes. Oh, Shondor Ryer. Yes, yes. I love a celebrity autobiography.

I did too. I eat it up. And even if they're like, oh my God, I roll. Like when I read Lena Dunham's, a lot of page to page, I had a different opinion on it. But I love it because it's a true slice of life. And what I like about it is like, it's someone telling their own story, which speaks volumes.

Yes. You know what I mean? Yes. It's true. It's like how important they think they are. Definitely. Yes. Their take on the situations.

I think that some of these- Well, it's different though. Lena's book is a book of essays. Of course. And it's different than a memoir looking back. Of course. The best memoir, one of the best memoirs I think ever written is called The Liar's Club by Mary Carr.

Yeah. She's a poet. I mean, you'll love it. It feels like a Laura Dern movie, like Wild at Heart. Wow. I love that. It's beautiful. And it actually, I think, you know, sent this kind of rebirth or this renaissance in memoir

writing in this country like 10 years ago or whatever. Wow, wow, wow. But she's very talented. I love that book. It's one of my favorite books. Yeah. I like memoirs too. I love memoir book. It's one of my favorite books. I like memoirs too. I love them. I really do.

If I know something is coming, I'll always like, you know which one I really want to read which is old now, but I really want to read it. It's Portia de Rossi's. Really? Mia Farrow's is great too. I'm sure. I'm sure that one is rich. It's so rich. So is Jane Fonda's.

Did you see Jane Fonda in Five Acts? Yes, it's based on the memoir. Oh my God, it's based on the memoir. Fabulous. Can we just talk? I thought it was only me who chronicled my life in periods of the men I've dated. That was so phenomenal.

We all do that. I mean, after you get out of school, what other measure do you have? You do. There's no structure. You're just set loose you're like how do I demarcate the stages of my life

I'm a Dave a Mike Carlos I'm in my post Hansel phase right now I spoke his name whatever Hansel I'm getting dinner with him on Thursday we're gonna hang we're still friends

no we like literally the day that he broke up with me he was like well I'm giving a talk tomorrow about transgender health you should come I was like I think that's too soon no you were gonna go and then I told you it was too soon sometimes you have to just be

you know sometimes you just have to cut the finger off let it grow back I lived with my ex after we broke up for seven more months and looking back it was like oh I should have gotten out of there Matt nursed the finger Matt polished the damn thing

I put a new nail on the thing waved it around yes yes I'm taking my dating advice from Padma absolutely put a new nail on the thing waved it around patched it up with some sticky peddy yes yes no but yeah you gotta I'm taking my dating advice from Padma absolutely

yeah I gotta cut off the finger she's phenomenal it's great she's lived so many lives so many lives and I love the hair the different hairstyles

yes it wasn't that amazing it's amazing the clute hairstyle is beyond iconic beyond and then the Barbarella

yes can we talk yes we can you forget how many how much iconography there is with Jane Fonda the Vietnam War the aerobics

that was probably one of my first touchstones really yes I was very very young and I remember my mom buying it the buns of steel yes I think so did you watch soap operas I was very, very young. And I remember my mom buying it. Yeah. The Bonds of Steel? Yes, I think so. Yeah, we had that. Did you watch soap operas?

Yes, All My Children. All My Children. Erica Kane. Erica Kane and Cher were my first. Wow. Like, touchstones of, like, womanhood. Wow. Like, celebrity idol worship.

Like, fashion, hair. Yes, yes. I mean Celebrity idol worship. Like fashion, hair. Yes, yes. I mean, when I started watching Erica Kane, she had a full on bouffant. She was the like, forgive the expression, but she was the bitch goddess. She was the bitch goddess.

She was the first like fun to watch diva. Oh, she's great. Of soap operas. And I think like people like, Susan Lucci is like a punchline now because of the Emmy losses. I was going to say, no, Susan Lucci is a part of culture.

She is. Erica Kane is part of culture. Well, Susan Lucci and Erica Kane, but my mother. I mean, she's nice, but other than the fact that she's a nice person, they're the same person in my mind. I met her.

I thought I was going to shit at her. Oh my God. I literally was like, oh my God. She is an icon. Even the fact that my immigrant mother kept up with all my children just says it all.

It was huge. I don't know what it was and I don't know when the hell I watched it except because I went to it. No, but it was on at one. Right. So it was when you

would stay home sick? I guess so. No, but this was a thing. Every once in a while or like, you know, Columbus Day or whatever the hell. Because I got sent to India every summer

and my mother worked full time. So I don't know like when you could have caught it. But I knew enough. Like I would watch it, you know, every few weeks or months that I knew what the hell

was going on when she was on Husband 7 or 8. She ended up with like 15 husbands. It was fucking crazy. Yeah. There's just something. She had so many different lives

and she was always fun to watch. And Susan Lynch always played it for everything it was worth. Oh, yeah. It was camp in the best way. Yes. Capital C.

And just on and off the screen, it's like you keep up with the marriages. It's the Liz Taylor of it all. That's what I also miss on TV. Yeah. I miss the camp of television. Right.

You know, it sort of, it looked like it was going to come back with Empire. Yes. And it kind of didn't. It didn't. It didn't. It feels, it sort of, it looked like it was going to come back with Empire. Yes. And it kind of didn't. It didn't, it didn't. It feels like it, it's still on

and it feels like people still watch it, but it's not as like culturally powerful as it was in that first season. But the first season. Taraji was fully doing. So fun, so fun. That was such a juicy, juicy, juicy role. The best.

Well, that's what I saw Glitter as. I saw it as Cam. Yes. 100%. And you have to look at it like that. But I think we were all I saw Glitter as. I saw it as Cam. Yes. A hundred percent. And you have to look at it like that. But I think we were all in a different movie. Like I saw it as Cam.

Sure. But, you know. You were great in it. I can maintain. You really were. You're so fun in it. Is that you singing? Yes.

It's so good. Can I tell you, I was actually hoarse. You were hoarse? I was, because it's hard to sing bad. I mean, I sing bad normally, but it's hard to like,

I was trying to be. And have the intention behind it. In my mind, I was in a bad. I mean I see yeah normally, but it's hard to like The intention behind my mind I was in a comedy I think you were so the moment that you walked into that dressing room like that first scene. I was just like Well, like the way that you just back up. They're just back up. Yes. They won't matter like like turn sick down turn Billy Oh, oh my god god it's my life but just the way that padma walks into the dressing room with the manager i'm just like that terrence howard terrence howard of course i was like that person knows like is is selling the whole thing for me here's why i played that role the way i did i think because you know i have I have lived my life until very recently. Very like in fear, not in fear, but I was really like insecure and felt like I didn't belong and intimidated by everyone else in the room.

Yeah. And so I I know how I perceived those people. Yes. And that's what I was playing. I was playing one of those people who had all the power. Wow. Yeah. And it was so fun to experience what that was like. Yeah. You know?

And to pretend at that. Can I ask you a character thing about Silk? Yeah. Do you think that Silk knew that Terrence Howard was using Mariah's voice over her and that she was in on it? She was like, yeah, we'll use this girl's voice. I don't think she cared. She didn't care. She was just out for herself.

She didn't want to know the details. Just make me a fucking star. Hell fucking yes. You heard it from the source herself. We've all been asking about what Silk's motivations were. I mean, honestly, that's how I played it. You know, there's another scene in there which sadly gets cut. Oh, no. Where, it you know there's another scene in there which sadly gets cut

oh no where you know there's a fight that happens between Mariah and Max Beasley I love Max Beasley he's hot in that movie he's an English actor

yeah I don't know what he was doing in that movie either I'm like you couldn't find somebody from America who was in hip hop culture you're like I love Max

you know I used to live in London so I know him a little bit he's a great actor and a great guy but I was like this is such weird casting it's weird they couldn't get someone like a list of New York like a McConaughey accent

essentially he's doing Marky Mark drag he is but the character was British the character was literally Marky Mark he came in and did the whole Marky Mark thing they had a and did the whole Marky Mark thing. Like they had a dialogue coach on there. I think so.

I don't know if it was for him or Mariah. There were a lot of people on set, but I mean, and this was when Mariah was dating Luis Miguel. Luis Miguel. And you would see there, this is when people still use limousines. And maybe Mariah still uses them.

I don't know anyone who does. I can tell you from having just seen her in Gowanus, talking about songwriting, she uses like an Escalade. It's like a black Escalade. It's an Escalade. Okay, well, these were the days of like those really long prom limousines.

And their limousines like parked right next to each other. And then he would go visit her in her trailer and they would deliver pizza boxes to it. And then like half an hour later the pizza boxes would get thrown out of the door for like whatever the ones that hadn't eaten here you guys can have the rest. This is so funny.

She had the craziest boyfriends. There was Tommy Mottola and then Derek Jeter. Did she go out with Derek Jeter? During the like Butterfly era my all when that was a single she was dating Derek Jeter she was no i missed that whole period well mariah this has been in italy mariah was my number one there are all these holes in my popular culture when you were working when i was not only working but you know i was sent back

to india every fucking summer so like when hair came out i was not there you missed hair certain like star wars movies i don't like stars mean, I don't not like Star Wars. I just. Our fans aren't going to like come for you. Well, my prerequisite white male over there is like shaking his head. You stay seated. But, you know, like it's just it's weird. Like, you know, so there are all these holes in pockets.

So I must have missed Derek Jeter and Mariah. They're the same color. They look pretty together. Everyone was obsessed with the fact that they were both biracial that was like a story in the news but i think they and then maybe even it was like something one of them said like we understand each other because they're both super famous and also biracial um but oh weird that was like a thing or at least that my 10 year old brain remembers to this day um maybe it was just some disc jockey talking about it but mariah was my number one like when i was a little kid really i would play the butterfly album out and so is that the you've got me feeling emotion

no that was off that was off emotion yeah so that was 92. But this was like, once I started to actually like music, it was like 97. And I, I loved that Butterfly album. And so she was like at the height for me when Glitter came out. So literally Padma, on the day of 9-11,

my mother pulled me out of school because of what was happening. We lived in Long Island. Can we see Glitter? And I was like, are you taking me out? Because you know how excited I am to. Can we see Glitter? And I was like, are you taking me out because you know how excited I am to go get the Glitter album? My mom was like,

no, something happened in the city and I don't want you in school. I want you home with me. And I was like, well, we have to go get the Glitter album. I've been so excited for September 11, 2001. Oh my God. Because that's the day that Glitter is coming out. And she was like, I think it's going to be closed, babe. And I was like, no. Oh my god. Because that's the day that Glitter is coming out. And she was like, I think

it's going to be closed, babe. And I was like, no. And I freaked out. I said, we have to go to the Tower Records to get Glitter. On 4th and Broadway. No, no, no. Literally. I was on the island. I was like, we must go.

She was like, you don't understand. It's not going to be open. I was like, if you don't take me, I'm going to freak out. So then she took me to the store. The workers at the store were like, we're going to go home. Are you crazy? My mom was like, just please, just let him buy the album. Because it's just going to make it easier for everyone. And we got it.

And so while everyone was dealing with that day, I was listening to like, you and only you and you and that freaking thing you do and I'm so into you he knows it he knows it front to back

he knows it front to back I love that shit yes you and I are both so far I live just like

just like how my coming to New York story has Padmas diffused in it your 9-11 story has Padmas diffused and I'm deep I-11 story has Padmas effused in it. And I'm so, yeah. I'm deep in it.

You are. You are in it. Let me tell you, and I actually, I don't think I saw the movie in theaters just because 9-11 had just happened. Damn it. But I had the album.

I know. And I still think, hashtag justice for glitter. Justice for glitter. This just happened. One of my, like, it's true, like I,

you know, one of my most proud things there's this ice cream place called the Big A Ice Cream yeah yeah we know it okay well one year for

Valentine's Day they asked if they could do my recipe in all of their soft serve machines oh my god that's amazing it was rose petal

and they did a cardamom one oh that's so great. And it's your recipe? Yeah, yeah, from one of my books. It was such a huge thing that I told like all my family. They were like, all my friends. I think I sent like a general email like, hey, everybody. I don't even tell them when I'm like on the Today Show.

But I was like, there's this ice cream store in the village. And I made them make, I was like, you don't even have to pay me. Just And you have to go all month. I made them make. I was like, you don't even have to pay me. Just give me like, make me a cake for Krishna's birthday. Because her birthday is in February. And I was so happy. Because the only other person they have done that with at the time was Bea Arthur. Oh, right.

Because they do the Golden Girls stuff. They have all the Golden Girls characters. I was like, I have made it now. That's iconography right there. That is gay iconography made it now that is gay iconography that is gay iconography big gay iconography maybe that's the title of it I can't let go of this thing that Padma said earlier

where she was like the culture that you take in defines who you are it's how you express yourself and I think that is why you are so well liked well respected it's how you express yourself. And I think that is like, I think that is why you are so, so well-liked, well-respected is because you take in so much.

You've, you've processed so many different things from different areas and fields. And that, that just makes you a complete person in other people's eyes. I mean, if people come at you with respect, but also really relatability in this way that is so balanced and so, so comforting and so wonderful.

So thank you for coming on. Thank you so much. Powerful. Powerful. It's not over yet. It's not over. We're going to do, I don't think so.

Honey. Yes. Which is our segment. That's birthed many a live show. We are going on tour and you can buy tickets online. We're on sale. Now we're going to be in Portland, Seattle,

San Francisco, Vancouver for JFL in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver for JFL, Dallas, Austin for Moon Tower, Houston, D.C., Boston, and Philly. So all those cities and probably more are going to be added. We're very excited. That's going to be February through April. And we're going to be doing

I Don't Think So Honey live. So now it's I Don't Think So Honey. It's our one minute to rant against something in culture. Can I ask you when you're gonna be in austin oh um april 19th end of april oh so not for south by southwest not for south by but i mean things could happen where we go happen where we go um yeah if if work lets up i will definitely if work lets up lets up i don't know snl lets up yeah yeah you know how they let up? Actually, I did this thing after I did our comedy show at ASCAP for ACV.

I loved it so much. They're the best. I love them so much. The last time, because I did improv with them years and years ago. Yeah, I remember them saying you took a class.

Yes, yes. And as part of this, like, you know, thing, you have to perform. Because they were on Bravo. Because they did a show on Bravo for like a quick second

oh yeah that's right no this was like way back when I was pregnant and I had a car sitting on my way there so like I haven't been to UCB since then but it was great

yeah they're so cool yeah they had you do storytelling and monologues and stuff and then they improvised on it

so fun you're the perfect guest for that I wanted to improvise with them I almost wanted to tap in and be like, hey,

let me step in. Oh my God. We'll make an improv star of you. Yeah. Okay. So Matt and I will go first. Then we'll have Padma and then we'll close out.

I have a good one. You have a good one? Yeah. Great. This is Matt Rogers' I Don't Think So Honey and his time starts now. I don't think so honey.

Anyone who says, oh, I don't know celebrities. Like that's supposed to be a good thing or impress me that you don't care about pop culture. I'm specifically talking, honey, to my Lyft driver in L.A. who was the chattiest of them all.

And you know they get chatty on the Lyfts in L.A. Who said to me after I got out of a podcast, he said, what were you doing? I said, I was on a podcast where I talked about pop culture. He says, oh, I don't know celebrities. And then somehow Ben Affleck gets brought up. And he all of a sudden has a big opinion on casey affleck 30 seconds and manchester by the sea and i'm like okay so if you don't know celebrities why the hell do you have an opinion on casey affleck in this niche ass movie and i'll tell you why it's because you only said that to try to impress me 15 seconds because it's this straight male thing

this like heteronormative thing of like wow we're too cool for pop culture if you think you're too cool to know what's going on in the world I have another thing coming for you honey I don't think so honey you know about Casey Affleck you know about culture

stop lying to me bitch and that's one oh my god oh my god spirited I don't know if I can do it. This is I Don't Think So Honey Padma. You stepped into the lion's den.

When you were talking about, what were you talking about? You got fired up before. About nachos. About the movie theater nachos. I did, but I think I have something better. I love that. Great. But can you believe?

I can't believe that. These people who think it's like cool. Well, also, celebrities doesn't mean pop culture. Exactly. Pop culture is so much more than celebrity. It has to do with people. And I hate that word celebrity too, because now everyone's a fucking celebrity. Everyone's a celeb.

You know, everyone is. That's the problem. It's like five minutes and they're a celebrity. You get the blue check and you think you're a celeb. I mean, mad. I like to say people of note. People of note. But I will say Twitter and Instagram, thank you for my new blue check.

Because she got a blue check. You got a blue check on Twitter too? Yes, honey. Congrats. What's a blue check? The verified. You've probably been verified since the age of one. I started verified. You came out of the womb verified. That's because I was

born before Twitter. My fame was born before Twitter. You my fame was born before Twitter. And there you go. So it precedes everything. You've only known the verified life. Okay, so this is Bowen Yang's I Don't Think So Honey. And his time starts now. I Don't Think So Honey, White Elephant.

Honey, this is the Christmas season. Do not. White elephants are structurally flawed. The fact that other people can steal Is no just crushes people's dreams And I'm all for A secret Santa with no cap With no price cap It just means as long as everyone's coming in with the understanding

That it's not about the price of the gift It's about what you know what the sentimentality Of it the feeling of it Whatever I think White elephant is structurally Insane I was just part of the uh new york magazine strategist celebrity white elephant gift exchange i got gorgeous zay bars locks um from someone uh it was great i mean it's it's locked so i'll eat it it is vacuum

packed they'll ship it to me in a fucking box 15 seconds i just think gift exchanges should be i think i think out with white elephant just secret Santa's only white elephant is crazy it's not personal it's randomized five seconds not person it's literally impersonal

yeah and therefore secret Santa's only I'm a purist at heart that's my minute and that's one minute I agree with you the white elephant thing is crazy because if I if I was given a

gift I like the gift I think Pat you do what I love it as a supporter of my don't I just bur No, I don't. I just burped and I didn't know if you could hear it. Oh no, we didn't hear it,

but now the world knows. I had a little too much champagne. Yes, no. I was like, let me just move away from the mic. We're grateful for the sham. So grateful for the sham. I thought it was about white elephant.

No, I don't like white elephant. I don't like white elephants. I don't like secret Santas either. Me neither. I think, you know, gifts should only be given when really felt like there's a reason to give a gift. We, in my family, we only give gifts to the kids and everyone wants to know what, you

know, Krishna wants. And I'm like, she doesn't need anything. Yeah, that's the thing. Except leather pants, which she keeps asking for. Everything black. And I'm like, oh, please. She's a New Yorker. I know.

She wants to become a pop star she does and she will become one yet yes absolutely so listen

this is Padma Lakshmi's I Don't Think So Honey and Padma your time starts now okay did you steal that from me what your time starts now

because that's what I said I mean sure let's say we did we stole your time starts now from Topshop we'll say we'll say yes

we stole it from you. But all you have to do is say, I don't think so, honey. And go for it. You steal this from us. OK. Ready? And your time starts now. I don't think so, honey.

I have to tell you what I really get upset about is I've been getting a little bit of slut shaming fan mail, which I guess is not fan mail. It's not fan mail. No, I almost posted one of these letters, but then I was like, you know what? I'm not going to. But I got three, you know, the show started two weeks ago.

So we've had two episodes on air. And after the first episode, I got a letter about, you know, how I was wearing something too provocative. 30 seconds. And I was like, what the hell? First of all, they're like, you know, the show wearing something too provocative. 30 seconds. And I was like, what the hell? First of all, they're like, you know, the show is not about you. It's about the chef.

So I'm like, well, then why are you talking about my nipples? Yes, I don't think so, honey. Yes, it's just like you're the one fixated on them. I am not. And I like to dress the way I like to dress. And by the way, I thought everybody had nipples. Oh, by the way. Five everybody had nipples oh by the way five seconds okay I really don't

understand that and I just want to say that I can be a feminist and show my nipples too and I don't think it's fair that you boys get to show your nipples and I'm not showing my nipples anyway and I don't think so honey that's one minute and you slut shaming quote unquote fan mailers

unbelievable and also there i mean it's not about the look but the hat that you were it is about it is about the look television is a visual medium and otherwise it's a stainless steel kitchen and most people in coats chef coats yes yes you know what i mean like i i like to dress the way i like to dress yes yes they're like it's not about your clothes. I'm like, that's right. So I can dress how I want. I'm not in the kitchen cooking.

Thank you. But that fascinator was fabulous. I was going to say, I was going to compliment the fascinator. You looked so chic. That was such a good triumph. Albert did a great job that day. That was a Brandon Maxwell. Brandon Maxwell.

God, that's designer. Jumpsuit. And, you know, we tried everything. We tried band-aids. We tried silicone. Also, our friend Dave wants us to tell you it was important to him that we tell you that you were a ponytail that fucking slayed it for him.

Oh, thank you. He says he wants more ponytail. That's a Jane Fonda moment. The only thing I could think of was like, oh, I have great hair this season. I have like maha hair. You've been having fun with the hair. Yeah.

Yeah. My girlfriend, Jeannie, Jeannie, who is my hairdresser on this show, she also does me, you know, in New York whenever I've read Carpet or whatever. She's fantastic. And we just get bored.

Yes. And we're like, I don't know. Fuck it. Let's, you know. Do you ever do like a long, like all the way to the floor? Yeah. Not to the floor,

but we have done. We have done. Yeah. We have done like, you're going to see, there's a 20s episode, like a flapper episode. Wow. It's a great Balmain dress and a real like Louise Brooks wig. Bob, wow. Yeah, it's beautiful.

And it's just like, it gets, you know, we've been doing the show for a long time. Like I said, it's like an old marriage. So this woman was like, I know it really affected me I was honestly like really upset for two days because she said I'm ashamed to watch the show with my teenage daughter oh god that's her fucking problem and I was like I was gonna say no I really took it personally because

it you know I have a daughter so and I pride myself on Top Chef being one of the few things you can watch with all your family and I'm just like you know what are we going over no no no no no and I just felt like, are we going over? No, no, no. And I just felt like, you know, I think I've done my share for the ladies, you know, as far as fighting for the women.

I was like, I was so mad. I, you know, I think we also, we have such a weird relationship to sexuality and naturalness. Right, right. You know, that we've forgotten we've forgotten that it's it's a normal part of life but also but not not that not that the conversation should even be about sexuality in that moment because it's not i watch those i've watched episodes where i'm like oh padma looks nice great and what about the I mean, it can coexist in this space.

Right. People are not just one thing. We're all layered, complicated, multifaceted, dimensional human beings. Multitudinous people. And it's what Matt said. That speaks more. That's her issue and has nothing to do with you. And also, I'm sorry, but there probably is something to do with the fact that like, like,

but when when certain women wear certain things people are outraged and if and taylor swift wears that shit all the time thank you and it is about women of color and it is about women with certain body types when they wear certain things like when they wear halter tops etc it's a fucking scandal meanwhile literally they're not wearing anything different than a lot of other women so it's like seriously sit and spin and i don't think so honey that woman and she's not setting a good example for her daughter also i think i'm judged much more harshly now than i was when i was younger because i have spoken out about women's issues it's like you know for certain people i can't be a serious thinker or somebody who you know stands for these things but also likes to look good in a bikini

like those you know those can coexist and they do coexist and they will continue to coexist here they are oh my god this was the episode of all episodes I had so much fun this is so great I feel like

oh wait what we have to ask you what did you do at Union Square last week? Oh my God. Oh my God, yes. Thank you for asking. I got the biggest sugar rush of my life. I felt like Daffy Duck for the rest of the day. I hosted and judged this holiday bake-off at Kellogg's.

So I go to the Union Square Green Market and I go there like twice a week to buy whatever vegetables and bread and stuff. And I always saw this little Kellogg's logo across the street by Barnes and Noble and I was like what the hell is that and I actually thought it was like their corporate headquarters it's actually a cafe that you can go into and it has like a big cereal bar like 16 handles like all of that wait that's my dream then you have wi-fi and there are couches. It's like, you know, Central Perk from Friends. It's really. A cereal bar.

It's really funny. Anyway, they reached out to me and they asked me to do this. And I was like, yeah, sure. Okay. And so these four finalists had to make a dessert using any Kellogg's product, cereal, any Kellogg's cereal in their holiday dessert. And so I did that just a couple days ago

and the winning dish was this amazing pear and berry frosted flakes tart and she won because she did this genius thing first of all

she ground up the frosted flakes and used them in the crust of the tart and also like these shortbread star cookies that she used to decorate

powdered sugar but she also made the cream custard with of the tart. Wow. And also like these shortbread star cookies that she used to decorate powdered sugar. But she also made the cream custard with Kellogg's frosted flakes soaked in the heavy cream until they got super soggy for 20 minutes,

then strained it, then used that. So you have cereal milk flavored custard under the fruit, which is sliced razor thin with nothing but a paring knife. She didn't have a mandolin. No, wow.

No mandolin. I asked her because I was like, you are really OCD. And it was so beautiful. That's amazing. It's beautiful. You can go on their website if you have a death wish and want to reproduce this. We have to go to this Kellogg's cafe. I think we got to go.

I will meet you there on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. Let's do it. But not Tuesday, Thursday. No, because the market isn't on Tuesday and Thursday. There you go. I'm usually there between 11.30 and 12.30. Love that. We'll buy our preserves, our bread,

and then we'll go to Kellogg's. Oh my God, there's such good preserves. They have a chili jam, which is the hottest fire hell habanero jam. It is so delicious. Try chili jam on toast with peanut butter. You will die. Are you a spicy queen?

Do you like spicy? I am a spicy queen. She wrote a whole book on spices. I wrote the book on it. Well, yes, but I mean, the spices are different than hot, hot, hot. No, no, no. I like it hot.

I mean, now I like, like I can't take it as hot because my digestive tech has really taken a beating from 16 seasons of Top Chef. I would imagine. So I have to be, you know, a little mindful of that. But I still, I love making hot sauces at home. I love making chutneys.

I'm a big condiment girl. Because if you have good condiments in the fridge, you can just fling a dollop of something in a frying pan, grill some fish or chicken thigh, wilt some spinach in the pan juices, and that's it. Oh my God. I actually am so thrilled that we did not do the grilled cheese thing

because I don't want you to judge me making food. It is not up to your standards. Can I tell you something? I don't want to talk about that first lady badly, but... Go on. I don't want to diss Michelle Obama because I love her

and worship the girl she walks on but I read the preface of her autobiography yes Becoming and I

almost it was like nails on a chalkboard that I was reading that Michelle Obama microwaved a grilled cheese no and I was like

no Michelle no you're our queen no I didn't care about her image her image is fine but i was just like no girl let me show you the way this is an opportunity it's an opportunity for you yeah to just to just strike up a relationship with her where you show her the way oh i do have to ask padma have you seen this video that's this old clip from oprah speaking of oprah where this woman yes i posted it i know what you're talking about the million dollar chicken thing i think it's so funny i used it as a meme it's so good i i i because i would have been i i think the same thing so many times in a day why didn't you season this this? Really? I don't think so, honey.

Thank God. And we have to end on that now. I think we got to. Oh my God. Padma, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for having me. The show is top chef. I mean, you know what?

You love it. And you know, Padma, you love Padma. I want you to listen to my memoir. I really do. I mean, I'm going to. You said becoming

and actually I know for a fact that my mother got me becoming for christmas that's lovely she's a good writer i'll read excellent i would imagine she is um well anyway we'll close out with the song as we always do you know we will here we go and on theme here we go And he's so sublime When you let me over I come every time And when my sugar daddy Takes me for a ride Wherever we be going

It's delirium time Yes! Bye, bitch! Forever Dog This has been a Forever Dog production. Executive produced by Brett Boehm, Joe Cilio, and Alex Ramsey. For more original podcasts, please visit foreverdogpodcasts.com

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