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The end of an era! Padma Lakshmi<\/strong><\/a> announced that she is leaving Top Chef<\/em><\/a> after 17 years as host of the beloved cooking competition.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter much soul searching, I have made the difficult decision to leave Top Chef<\/em>,\u201d the Bravo star, 52, began in an Instagram post shared on Friday, June 2. \u201cHaving completed a glorious 20th season<\/a> as host and executive producer, I am extremely proud to have been part of building such a successful show and of the impact it has had in the worlds of television and food. After 17 years, many of the cast and crew are like family to me and I will miss working alongside them dearly.\u201d<\/p>\n The Easy Exotic<\/em> author went on to note that she plans to focus on her other projects after leaving Top Chef<\/em>, which wraps up its World All-Stars<\/em> season<\/a> on Thursday, June 8. \u201cI feel it\u2019s time to move on and need to make space for Taste the Nation<\/em>, my books and other creative pursuits,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI am deeply thankful to all of you for so many years of love and support. Sincerely, Padma.\u201d<\/p>\n Lakshmi \u2014 who shares daughter Krishna, 13, with ex Adam Dell<\/strong> \u2014 has been the host of the competition series since 2006, following chef Katie Lee<\/strong>\u2018s departure from the show after its inaugural season. The cookbook author has earned four Emmy nominations for her hosting work, most recently in 2022. (She lost to RuPaul<\/strong><\/a>, who won for his work on RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em><\/a>.)<\/p>\n After Lakshmi\u2019s announcement, her colleagues and fans weighed in with their thoughts in the comments section of her post. \u201cEnd of an era and an incredible run,\u201d wrote Andy Cohen<\/strong><\/a>. \u201cYou were such an amazing partner and a BRILLIANT host. I have such great memories of our TC days.\u201d<\/p>\n Buddha Lo<\/strong><\/a>, who won Top Chef<\/em> season 19 and is currently competing on season 20, added, \u201cI feel honored to be a part of your magical journey.\u201d<\/p>\n While Lakshmi is best known for her work on the Bravo series, she has plenty of other irons in the fire. Since 2020, she has hosted her own Hulu docuseries titled Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi<\/em><\/a>, which wrapped up its second season in May. She has also authored two cookbooks, a memoir (Love, Loss, and What We Ate<\/em>) and a reference guide (The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs: An Essential Guide to the Flavors of the World<\/em>). In 2021, she published a children\u2019s book titled Tomatoes for Neela<\/em>, with illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
\n Tom Brown, Padma Lakshmi on \u2018Top Chef\u2019.<\/span> David Moir\/Bravo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n