‘Top Chef’ Star Padma Lakshmi, an Outspoken Biden Critic, Hosts ‘Friends of Kamala’ Fundraiser

Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for Frito-Lay North America/MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for Frito-Lay North America/MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Top Chef star Padma Lakshmi, an outspoken Joe Biden Critic, hosted a “Friends of Kamala” fundraiser in honor of vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Tuesday night.

The virtual “Friends of Kamala” fundraiser was hosted by Lakshmi and actor Billy Porter and featured Harris “in support of the Biden Victory Fund,” according to the fundraiser’s description.

“[Kamala Harris] is a woman after my own heart!!!” wrote Lakshmi in an Instagram caption on Tuesday alongside a video of Harris appearing to give cooking instructions behind the scenes of a show.

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Lakshmi may be backing the Biden-Harris ticker now but the TV star has a history of criticizing Biden on Twitter, and has suggested that the former vice president only apologized for his past interrogation of Anita Hill because he is running for president.

“What [Joe Biden] doesn’t seem to understand is how he not only wronged [Anita Hill] but every American young girl and woman by showing us our experiences don’t matter,” wrote Lakshmi in April 2019.

“I’m all for growth but he only admitted his mistake now that he wants to run,” she added.

“Hey buddy, can you spare a dime? I know I messed up with #AnitaHill and a bunch of other stuff in the 100 years I’ve been in govt but I did say sorry to her even tho she doesn’t believe me. Whadaya say??” wrote Lakshmi in another tweet from 2019, mocking Biden, who has been an elected official for several decades.

In August, Lakshmi reacted to Biden choosing Harris as his running mate by telling Politico that the decision was “the first thing that has given me any excitement” about Biden’s campaign “for a really long time,” implying her vexation with the Democrat nominee for president.

“It was the first thing that has given me any excitement or made me engaged in the campaign for a really long time,” she said. “From a personal point of view, I was really happy because the other major Indian Americans in politics that I know of on any national level are Nikki Haley and Bobby Jindal.”

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler at @alana, and on Instagram.

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