When it comes to celebrities speaking out about politics, one side says they should stay in their lane; the other demands more. Ask Padma Lakshmi how she thinks about using her platform, and her answer is refreshingly simple.
“I think anybody should use every opportunity they get—celebrity or not, well known public figure or not—to do what they can to better the world we’re all sharing,” Lakshmi says on the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast “Nice Talk”.
“Whether that’s walking by a piece of trash on a New York City sidewalk and actually bending down and picking it up, to calling out when there’s abusive behavior in a kitchen, or speaking up for the causes that matter, whatever they are,” the former Top Chef host goes on.
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Lakshmi makes her mark by choosing to speak about the issues closest to her.
“In my case, I think I felt comfortable speaking up because the issues that I have spoken up about are issues that touch me personally and that I have some experience with,” she explains. “Whether it’s immigration, or women’s reproductive rights, or children’s issues, or food scarcity issues, I try not to comment on things I’m not informed about or don’t have, you know, some kind of experience and knowledge on.”
You can see that ethos in Lakshmi’s series Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, which aired for two seasons on Hulu. The travel series highlights primarily immigrant communities across the United States and allows viewers to connect with various cultures through their food.
“It’s about giving my microphone to others to tell their own stories as they see fit and just using food as a vehicle to do that,” Lakshmi says of the show. “Taste the Nation was not created for people who actually think like me or [are] politically inclined in the ways that I am. It’s actually designed for people who are very leery of immigration or opening the doors a little bit more.”
Today, Lakshmi is working on a new show, America’s Culinary Cup, which, like Taste the Nation, she created and hosts. The CBS competition series follows 16 chefs as they compete for a $1 million prize. Lakshmi sees it as “the Olympics of cooking” and wants audiences to watch it the way they watch sports (a deliberate goal for a network with a large, built-in sports audience).
“Watching live cooking can and should be like live-action sports,” she says. “Instead of bats and balls, we have knives and fire, right? You know, anything can happen, and that’s why it’s so fun to watch.”
For more from Lakshmi—including her go-to dish to make at home and the most overrated food trend—check out this week’s installment of “Nice Talk.” The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.