Padma Lakshmi leaving Top Chef after 17 years as host and producer

Lakshmi announced on Twitter that she will be leaving the hit cooking show ahead of its 21st season

The longtime host and producer Padma Lakshmi has announced that she will be exiting the Top Chef kitchen ahead of the hit cooking show’s 21st season.

Lakshmi announced the news on Twitter and Instagram on Friday, saying that she had made the decision “after much soul searching”.