"Big Gay Iconography" (w/ Padma Lakshmi)

and yes, live ponies. It's true William is bringing literal live ponies and so much more. I know who the special guest is and you will not want to miss. Race Chaser is a podcast dedicated to the discussion, dissection and dissemination fun semen, reference of everything, Repulse, Drag Race, the Iconic Queens, pulled back the curtain on the worldwide phenomenon and giving behind the scenes perspective on the show you will not get anywhere else and now you can

see it live. A limited number of v i P tickets will be sold that include a fan meat and green. Yes, so get online right now. And you know what I say. I say It's the perfect holiday gift. Do you agreeable? I do? I feel this way. So the show will take place January eleven, two thousand nineteen, at eight p m. At downtown l As gorgeous stunning sixteen hundred seat cathedral known as the Theater at a hotel. So go to Race Chaser tickets dot com right now and get your

tickets again. That's Race Chaser tickets dot com. By the way, if you're not listening to Race Chaser, shame on you. William and Alaska are recapping All Stars four. So subscribe today. You better so subscribe. Look man, oh I see you? Why why? And look over there? How is that culture? Yes? Goodness? Well lost culture? Just calling I fellow? This one under a big day. This is a pretty big day. File under a big day. And then put it in the cabinet,

cabinet of my heart, of your heart? Can I say something? Yes? You remember? Do you recall? You recollect When we hosted a show for our guests, and our guests gave a speech to all the performers, and then she walked away, and you said, you turned to me, fill 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 had people pass it around, gave an eloquent, eloquent toast, just so gracious, thanking us for being there. Meanwhile, we're just we're like, why this is so? We love inverted And then yeah, as soon as the toast and I turned to you, I go, I'm I'm truly captivated, like in a way that I haven't. It's crazy that we would ever call

ourselves lost culture reestus. I mean, while my culture is like I've been to Epcot. Yeah, my culture is um, eyes are very sweet. I'm gonna take you with me. Everyone, we need to come. That's what this is about, is we need to join you in your world to do um. This is and and I just remember the moment too, when this moment happened where she just tweeted at us, or she followed it when she followed me on Twitter. I was at the dentist's office back in Colorado, got

down at your little phone. I was about to get a root canal. I was so strong. I was like, 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. Before 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

sixteen season it was Insane hosted the show since season two. Yes, all right, award winning best selling author, activists, model, actress, mother, a CLU ambassador. Hello. Also wait um, I just want to say the season that I got into 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. And it was just her. So her, she like her presence is very tied into the company. For you, we'll

just me moving to New York like she was. She was in that mythos in a way she don't have. So this is true. That was part of your coming to New York origin stories of New Yorker. Yes, it was like pat Well Patten 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, and I'm so excited to be here on this rainy, cold night with you, and we thank you for joining

us in Brooklyn. Umre, We're truly like, where are you downtown brook It's born Hell, it's your your Michelle Williams is your in Hathaway's your Ethan Hawks all sort of wander around here and Mat and bow and Matt and bowen Ethan Hawk, Ethan Hawk is that Brooklyn Inn which is one of my favorite bars in the neighborhood. He's there all the time. Um, I should say, I think Anne has since moved away, Miss Hathaway. Although Mr bru big Leia I see wandering around in his pajamas. Oh yeah,

that's because he's a new dad. So dad, he doesn't get out of his pajamas unless he goes on a stage, and after that not much. After that, not much, and even on stage it's debatable. But anyway, Uma, how how often are you splitting time between the coast But you're mostly are you mostly here? I'm not splitting any time between the coast. I go to l A if I need to, and then when I'm done, I come back. I remember 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. Would you say that was your favorite season of Top Chef? Then what was? No? Because I was home Usually you know, I have to go away to film the show, and I worked so intensely, but at least you know, I'm not home, so I don't have like the normal responsibility days 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, thank you. And I was just like,

this is too much. It's too much now. 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 not even like nowhere close to that level quote unquote, and I'm I'm disgusted at myself or 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 and managing all that as like things, things grow and grow. Well, it is hard, you know, Um we've been on air for sixteen 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. But um, you know, it's like an old marriage. You have to keep it fresh, it really is. And you know, luckily we go to a different city every season, which

keeps this show really fresh. And I think, you know, I have been speaking out um 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 gonna 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 opinion or you know you have opinions, but you forget that you can express them for greater good. I guess and um, there was so much to talk about, you know. Um, when I did start talking that, I just was like, okay, here we go. Yeah. I mean famously, you started the show off that we

hosted few with Fuck Louis and it killed. There was a successful stand up and there well I had like just do one joke because I'm not a comic and I have immense respect for stand up comics and so um, that show was amazing and I had to tell you it was such a fluke and literally like every single person we asked, unless they were already booked around the 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. Um. And it was so nice that we just put it on Twitter and we didn't even put it on Instagram and it's sold out within minutes, 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. In a really great experience for me because when we filmed the show, we do it largely in secret,

and it's a told different thing, you know, energy. But I started in live television in Italy, um, 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 experienced 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, because that really is like those are all the most those it's crazy that they're all our friends, but it is truly the most exciting. Like Pat Regan and Catherine, I have coution, how did you find everybody? Like how did you initially like start following everyone? Like, well, we

I followed him. Yeah, I saw something you had posted some videos, some wacky video almost like lying on your side, and it was a little way And this is a while ago. I don't even remember what you were parodying, but it was so funny. I like, this person is crazy. This is I just went thing. You know, I had no clue that you guys had a podcast or that whatever.

You know, I just thought you were funny. 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 just remember I started out there was no social media, 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,

you know, in this 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. And but I mean I knew Michelle Wolf and I didn't know her, but I had I had seen her work, and a couple of the others had also seen some I had and and then um, but you know, I obviously there are other comedians that I I know, like I had gone to see Leslie Jones around that time, who was doing stand

up at Caroline's. I you know, I love Ali wong Um because I also think like Asian culture is such that just to just to speak up and make fun of anything is so antithetical to how you know, at least for women, but across the board you have to be more reserved, you know, um the expectation in a way. And 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 of other people who we can have. There's all you know, interesting comics, there's there's there's that oh wait, maybe we just won't have a home. It's having a white man. How about this way 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 is upset about or has an emotion. I didn't think about it like that, but yeah, but like the Oscar host thing specifically 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. Everyone is like me, you've heard online online fell Yeah, I saw other people too. I feel like, would would you ever do it? I feel like you would be great. I don't think I would start out that big two shows at the Bellhouse. I'm feeling pretty good with that. I want to build. I mean, there's so many people that are I think one to Sikes would be amazing. Wos so funny and you never even hear her name discussed. The first White

House Correspondence Dinner of Obama. I went to that dinner and Wanda Sykes was doing it, and she was amazing. She killed, she killed. I thought I was gonna be in my pants. God, and I wasn't wearing very much. But you know, God, thank god you kept it together. But you were pants at least I didn't. You know what. I'm sorry. I even brought up my wardrobe because that

was my biggest regret. It was a wardrobe malfunction. The worst places Chiffon gown, which was really beautiful, and it was two layers of burgundy, and you know, I just had my little flesh colored or the pedic thong on it so nothing would show, and like everything showed because the lights. The Luckily Natalie apartment also had a wardrobe malfunctioned 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. You know in that light there, You've never like at Pacha at five in the morning, any bisa, you know, in the nineties when everybody's you know, likes me at the White House below. Yeah, I mean Natalie Portman didn't have it together. My god, I loved at least so much. Do you know her? Yes? I do? She um. She came to Top Chef when we were in Vegas. You know, I think the Vegas season was the hardest for me, just because of the heat.

We were there August and 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 I don't care, you know, I see I see chips going, I'm like, this could be a bair of Luputan's right. Yeah. Both times I've been to Vegas, I've performed that. So they've been paying me to go there. And one time I was on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Um, but it was crazy Vegas. The 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 very easy to No, no, they've they've never shot in l It's always be 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, god, but it was so it was kind of like, oh, I can feel good about like rolling a her 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 and 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 l A and she was just so funny. 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, Um, and I'm a huge fan of hers, you know, I I see

this is scary, but I'm scary. But when I see when I'm hanging out with my daughter, Christian would walk in like in the city, in the village or in East village or to me, like I feel like I'm with Natalie Portman and I'm Sean re No, you think Christian Christian? Yes, wow, she has really long hair in that sense in her like I'm grown up. Yes, since like she she's edgy. It has always carried herself as if she was in her mid thirties and the best

in the best way. Now are you? Are you trying to raise christ to become a certain way, to become a Natalie port No, I can't. I couldn't do that if I tried. But I'm an activist, a political activist. I mean, she's very active. Not already she um. She complained about not having enough lunchtime, and she ran for student council and she got it from a class and she ran on a platform of you know, we don't have enough term for lunch and we need more chicken nuggets.

I was like, you don't even need chicken nuggets. She's like, that's why I needed more at school. She's able to code switch. She's a code switcher. She's great, She's going to be awesome. What does she want to do? Because less I saw an interview where she said she had pop star aspiration, still still going strong. Think I think we can make it happen, and we as a together will manage her and then the two of us well after,

I will play you a song on my iPhone. I can't play it on Arab No, no no, She'll be like copyright of that ship from this and I love that. I think Krishna can just be a mononym one name Christian anonymously as Krishna Christia. And then and then you have some divine aspect to it, which have you the god's name, and that you have accessible name for everyone to pronounce all over the world in any language. I think. I think this is now. She has to do the

sing well. She sings incredibly well. Speaking of speaking of Natalie Apportman and pop star, have you heard of vox Lux and do you think it will come? Is it out? I think she's doing press actually, so I must be out soon. I can't wait. The radar. I think it is because the subject matter is pretty, it is pretty, very dark, very dark, like it did you hear what it's about? It's she survives. She's just 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 and then she becomes, so she becomes. It's it's a movie that

I think it's really the comment. It's definitely a comment the intersection of tragedy with like very that and I think, like then it flashes forward many years and Natalie Apartment is playing the adult version and she's this sort of like, you know, pop star. We recognize that's like crazy, and it's been kind of driven nuts by the fact that like not only is this expectation of being a pop star, but also how she got famous and the ghosts figuratively

and right. And then then like it on, there's like 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 I can't wait. I saw a clip of it because she was on ellen Um the episode I was on, and I was like, I have to see this movie. Yeah, I love all her movies. I do. I'm a huge fan. We we actually we were in college when when The Black Swan came out,

and that's one of my favorites. I didn't homage to Black Swans Halloween, remember, Trishner was homaging Angelina Jolie is um Star and Pama told me this in person at the Bellhouse show too, and I forgot already know. But I mean, you can't see pictures on this podcast, but if you go on to my Instagram you can see pictures and videos. We had so much fun. We were just walking around soh like, yeah, we know we look better than you bitches. Do people recognize you in costume? Um?

Well yes, when actually recognized my voice. It's really funny. Um Like, I'll be at a restaurant and then the person with their back to me, like I heard your voice. I thought that was just some local signature. That's the Tamber it's the Tamber Cross. Yeah, you do have a fantastic voice. And we were discussing before before the before we went on that W magazine does the celebrity SR videos, Patma would be fantastic and you can't see that. You can't see the photos of her and Chrishna dressed up

on Halloween first famously not a visual medium. But when you say that, here's the thing, let's talk about Matt for a second. Can see a moment? Yes, yes, yes, check out at Padma las Yes, I do. I wanted to thank you for the plug. I want to talk about let's just dig into Matt for a second. No, no, no, Because we were I know where this is going. Patma was very playfully ribbing about how you you know. 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 really well I have. I started talking about I was a dramatic writing major, and so like I am also I also acted and act, and you know, I do lots of different things. But but you, I think you are able to analyze and break You're able to give the cliffs notes 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. We have packman at her thinking I don't read well, No, you know you can also I read very slowly, I really do. And I have started listening to books on audible and whatever audio books and I love them. I love them so much.

And I you know, when I was um and living in l A 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 um when we had vhs and we rent it. Then we went to places and got them and come back and then gave them back in a timely fashion. But there was like Talking Book World and you could get these boxes of like Jeremy Irons narrating the Leader. Yeah, creepy in the I when you were in the late nineties. Yeah, definitely. Anyway, UM,

I think you should start there. I'm going to I'm going to do audio books 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 on like I would love to read your book. That's what I'm saying. Absorb the book. I'm trying to you know what it is. I'm very sensitive and so the last book I tried to read was A Little Life. Do you know? A Little Life Kanye's 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. I think it's the nineties. A couple of them are. 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 where 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 I'm

very sensitive and I'm not saying that stopped me from reading. Okay, I'm looking for something sad to read. You should read this a little I'm serious though. I I this is maybe t M I, but I don't care. I had this massage therapist slash healer comes to me my normal massage therapist set hand surgery. Anyway, so UM and I have a little back things. So anyway, after she finished, she said, I think you have a lot of sadness

to get out of you. And I said, um, yeah, probably, and so she was saying, if you can't, you know, get it out, you could just go watch just you know, sad movie or something. And I went to watch at ten am, the Julia Rharts movie. Then is Bad. I wanted to bring this up. How was it? It's it's what you think it is. You know, it is really heartbreaking,

and they both give great performances. And I don't want to spoil the ending, but I'll just say that it's it's not a good ending, like it not as in anything. It's just like it just stops, and you're like, no, I want to know what happens, because 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 true right now. And it does end with an ellipsis, So I do kind of love that. Do you know what Bad Is Back is about? So Lucas how just plays Julia Roberts's son, and he has in in drug rehab and he gets hooked on drugs as a teenager, like fourteen, and we learned that in the movie. And so he's done everything,

he's dealt. He's like broken into his own mother's house, the neighbors houses, and I think, you know, he's 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, we're just throwing a frisbee in a call to Sack 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. It was I am I'm normally sap.

So maybe she's sent or something. I don't know, Like I just felt like I really wanted to. It's why I went to go see didn't have a good cry and I leave it behind. But no, because I just, you know, maybe it's because it's like not melodramatic. It was very realistic. It was super slice of life. And I like that. I mean, I like, you know, did you cry to Stars Born? I cried more? Yeah, but that was Yeah, it was, I mean, I kind of.

I mean, it's such the subject is frough for me because you know, I was in a movie with a star the same story, right, Why Lady Gaga wanted to be in a movie? Just let her be in a movie. As you saw, she's a good actor, right, I think she did a great job, you know, very nice and kind of on, you know, and that was great. And you also got to see the beauty of her voice a cappella and really understand that, you know, under all those me dresses there's this incredible talent. And it turns

it turns out she's a great actor too. And for the first for the first part of the movie, Jeff Bridges way of speaking, heally was distracting for me. I was like, why is he speaking like the tall guy with the white hair who always plays the character actor in a Western or Tommy Jones movie. And then he comes on and I'm like, oh, he's playing his brother. Yes, so Bradley Cooper as Jackson made aka Jeff Bridges is doing it, doing it Jeff Bridges basically, I mean, basically,

why wasn't Jeff Bridges in it? That was jeffred is crazy Heart it's crazy high. Yeah, and and so so it's really that I have the same questions too. And also the line of the script was like you stole my voice. I was like, do we need this? It's so, but you are dead on the ending of Glitter, that is the ending of Stars Born. Yeah, they're the same.

It's the same story because the ending of Stars Born is just her basically doing a Whitney Maria moment, like literally, so sure, I feel like you've always had a sense of humor about Glitter, but is this is it's still a thing where you are, you are, you're 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 does that affect affect me at all? It

doesn't affect me at all. I mean, you know, I think in defensive glitter like there, you know, it came out ten days after nine eleven, right and came out the day up, that's right, And it was really you know, light popcorny movie. You know, do I think it would have been considered this Citizen King anyway? Now? I don't, But you know, whatever, it wasn't you know, the worst

thing out there. But um but I do think that you know, when when when a performer who has reached a height of Saint Mariah or Gaga, you know, wants to get into movies, like, I think we should be a little more creative about how we utilize them. Because I thought the movie it 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 it's a very sort of mythic sort of thing where it's like everyone knows the story so well, and I feel like it does sort of we talked about type right, Yeah, yeah, you know it's a version of you know, there's that myth, then there's the pretty woman myth of someday my principill come. You know. It's Yeah, so you liked Venus Back despite like I really liked it. I wish you wish satter and darker. Is 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 a very specific kind of I mean I remember crying in Out of Africa. Yeah, okay, I mean that was beautiful. It's Sophie's choice, bald like a baby, you know, I call it happy things. Maybe try that, Maybe try like you have, Maybe try this like I'm a healer. Now wait, have you seen Big Fish? Yes? I love that movie, very nice. It's so sweet and

it's so magical, so beautiful. I don't think movies are missing that now, yes, you know, just good scripts like Fish Called Wanda. I was on I was on some red carpet and someone was like, so, what's your favorite Hotiday movie? And you know, they ask you these questions and you're like, I don't really watch movies that are just you know, like say something. And I was like, what's your favorite movie? Fish Called Wanda? Yeah, that's a

good one. That's a really good I you know, I pulled the record early and showed it to Christia a couple of years ago. I cannot watch another sucking copy of Sleeping okame out at this point. You know how obsessed I am with ever Lyne. You what about me? And you know too the obsession as well. I've caught the bug and you're wearing some Everlyne haad toe right now. Literally, my denim is my Kashmir shirt is everyone, my jeans are every y. I'm addressed to never Lene at this moment.

I cannot recommend Everylne enough. I can't an ambassadoria. I'm an ambassadory yes um. 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 Everlyne gift card every year. And I know gift cards are like very passe or whatever taboo pas taboo, but the fact that it's from Everlene just means that it's all good because it's money that I'm going to spend well on everything. This is. I'm not even reading a copy right now.

I'm just telling you. I can say his eyes are straight up looking at me, dead in my eyes straight up his straight up dead. And he speaks on his heart when he talks about Eveline. And I truly am so happy. Every Christmas one my Jewish brother in law jets ever Lane give cards and I just go wild. I bought. I bought, like fucking I bought. I bought the renew line, which is all this stuff is made of recycled plastic bottles. I love, and literally everywhere I go,

I'm seeing everyone in these sweatshirts. You know who was rocking this? Our agent agent rocking ever Lane like fleece that I recognized from the website. And of course, you know, I ran into my grandma reef Housing at the Forever Dog party of the night she was rocking one of these. You know, it's not just taking the Forever Dog podcast network by a storm, because now we're talking about it to everybody. Hell, we're talking about it to you guys. Hello is where it's at. Hell. Hell. So here's what

you're gonna do. You're gonna fulfill your last minute shopping fulfillment, fulfillment, fulfillment, and you can check out our personalized collection. There's Mats picks, there's Bowen's picks literally and a grid for your enjoyment. And if you don't even lie us, you can see food for thoughts picks. Those gay boys, those gay boys. So here's what we're gonna do. You're gonna check out our personalized collection or shop on your own at Everlyne

dot com slash ding Dong. Plus, we'll get free shipping on your first order. That's everline dot com forward slash ding dong Everline dot com forward slash ding dong d I n d o n g, so that you can't look ho ho good. Do you have a favorite movie that's come out this year, like now Oscar season? Have you seen anything that you're like, oh, hell, Black Panther. Yes, every Oscar? I agree. I agree that what's powerful, and

it's like it was a game change. It was so exciting to see the costumes and their the cinematography, the battle scenes, just everyone being not white. It's I love movies with white people. It's all I've ever seen, so just like I want to see. I was so great. I saw it four times in the first week and came out. I went to the premiere and Leslie Jones was like three rose 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 really packed crowd, it was just such a fun experience. And then I wanted to take Christians, so I grabbed her out of school, took her street from school to the movie with a book bag like at three thirty. 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 um and a couple of

those times we're in three DS. Well, I think I just think I love I love this the soundtrack from Hendrick lemont bos and at my boxing gym, like they're like, we can't possibly play this anymore, like yes you can. You're from Africa. About forever that means forever, essentially rule culture number seven whatever means forever. I think I think it's a movie that rewards repeat viewings. Truly. I saw

I saw it. I saw it twice, and the first time I saw I I had a bad experience because it was a past leader, thank god, but I just had this group of like rowdy asked children with like some baby some caretaker type, like baby sitter type, just like sitting there sort of letting them run them up 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 of

bad O Pair I walked out. I was like, I was like, oh no, I don't think I understood what was happening. In there because because all the chatter I was, I didn't have an opinion on the movie, and I was like, I have to see this again just to like not just clean, just to like 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, but then seeing it again, like you, I also just picked up on the things that like I had taken in the first time.

It's just an incredible movie. And that was 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 have, but that scene where Michael b. Jordans dies at the end, and it's so beautiful, So I mean, it's it's it's just like wow, it's just it's just so abuff and beyond. Because you could have made you could have done the Superhero movie, but they made that art that's better than any more of

a movie I've ever seen. And I mean also, the women characters were not appendages. They were all different, had all different personalities, you know, they were so um in their own essential selves. Yeah, you know, 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's for a Supporting Actor nomination, which you know, I think he's

one of the most famous, so that makes sense. But Nigeria, she is stunned the movie as person, and I was like, this is someone who's multi multitalented and the playwright she's I didn't know she was an as powerful as I watch. I saw her in Eclipse. Ye oh, and she was isn't that the play? Yeah, she was amazing. And I saw it when it was at Joe's Joseph pat Theater, the public theater. I saw it there before it went to Broadway. It was so powerful and everyone l Peto

and Yango was in that too. Everyone in that cast was so fantastic. It was brilliant. I mean that's the thing, like I want to hear other stories, which is why I read, which is why you read. And you too have to go see Slave play. Jeremy O. Harris. It's at the New York Theater. We're going together. We're going together.

I'll try to get a ticket. No, but seriously, it's Josh Sharp and I went we walked away from that thinking and he's the guy who knows theater, our friend, but we were both like, that's the best piece of theater I've ever seen in my life. Truly, so smart leaves no stone unturned when it comes to like there's there's something that happens in the play that like just blows your mind age and like that's all I can say. But like, truly, I'm getting everyone at work like into it,

like you've been talking about. Colin came over to me, he was like, I think I'm gonna go see Slave Play this weekend because like you, 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 sub 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, that's off Broadway. Um, 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 there, like it's going to be great, Like we don't know what it's gonna be, but like it's gonna be something brilliant. So anyway, we do need more pools on stage, and we need more

pools on stage. Um, But I think I just want to I want to ask patn of this before we get into the central question of the show, what 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're 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 you 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 that um at a velocity

that it's hard to really absorb them. But I think something's always bubble up, whether that's an issue or a new thing or lately, I think what 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 know what I was gonna say, and pome 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 Pressed for Top Chef because it just premiered um last week, right and um, every single interview I did from from Busy to like BuzzFeed, I mean everything. I mean, I was

on Access Hollywood. I got there, they greeted me, it was we made this okay, so lust and it's just become this random thing because as I think, it tapped into something that was so familiar put in a different way together, 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 um, 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. But you know, I was. 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 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 things they like? And that collection of opinions forms who they are because it's informed by what they've gone through. Um, And I think it's very important. And you know, social

media is really bad and evil. However, 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 formatic, 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 um, so it's been great for me

to UM. I used to write. I used to I had a syndicated column for for a bit and then for the New York Times. You know, I also um due to Style Column and Harper's Bizarre And so I come at everything as a writer mostly like whether it you know, it's plays, I'm always or movies I'm always listening for the script and and I think, what the hell was my point is that is, oh well, just controlling my own narrative. And I think, like it's it's more interesting to see what a full person is like.

And I'm I can be that um in Instagram or Twitter or whatever, especially because you know, like when when I would imagine that when you are Pod Malakshmi and you are like put 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 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 like 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 what you're talking about. Ever, I couldn't believe the spices and 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 gonna write one. Yeah, and now now everyone knows about green mango powder, everyone truly. That was that was crazy for me. That really blew it up. Green mango powder, especially in fried chicken crust. It delicious because you have this sourness already in should we put it into basically like whatever mix and I put like rice crispies in there and coin flakes and bread crumbs and all that, so you like dredge it

and in that you season that. You season that with salt and cayenne and green mango powders that secret ingredient in there. So you're this this season takes place in Kentucky, and obviously you think, like every year it gets influenced by this city or so here you are, like in Kentucky? Does that mean a lot of fried stuff? Are you? 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 were eating so much. Like I always eat a lot on on set, but I do want to try the local specialties of wherever I'm going. So I did. I had all these pork pies and banana croquettes and I was having mint julip s lush, She's bourbon and the like. The second week, I was like, I don't feel so well right between you and Tom, Like you're you're eating much more than he does. I eat double what he does. That's crazy that there. 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 and gals out the whole season. Yeah, yeah, she's actually saw our Last night, I was at Andy's holiday party and she looked great. Um, she you know, she was very pregnant. And the second was the quick fire was for her, was like her craving did you see? I was like, this is a joke for two days after that to was it was it twins that that was a he has a beautiful

boy to do. 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 route Paul about I'm very RuPaul about it, you know, I am, because like I just honestly, I just judge them on their food, and then when they make a stupid mistake, I'm like, oh, you're so capable of more than this. You know, you're rooting for all of them in a

sense to get out of their own way. You know. No, and again there's the annoying person. You're like, all right, yeah, 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, So, um, I think this season is no different, Like you wind up rooting for the three or four it at like mid season, you know, aren't doing consistently well, and it's interesting to see their cooking styles and how they differ and how they interpret

the local ingredients or whatever. I don't know, I'm I get super 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, because you have nothing else to judge it on, you know,

in the whatever. Just in the first quick fire off this season, it was just like everyone was pretty solid and it was like, well, what do you when you realize like it's the true Like you also slayed your episode of RuPaul's Dragons, Yeah, you were so good and also well I wanted to be constructed. I'm not doing any of them a favor if I'm just like, wow, you makeup was a little you know, and I got it really into that ship because I'm already deep into

that ship at home badly. I was away filming something, so I had bought tickets, but I couldn't go, So I made Chrishna's dad take her to dragon Oh my god, yes, in New York. And she's like, mom, that was great, But next year you're going. I'm like, listen, that start just for just for braving that whole braving it. But you know, so many people, it's families. It's so many families tournament right exactly. Oh my god, my god. Everyone would have been a gag to see you there. I

do you golf dragon girl. We are already planning our outfits. Yes, we just we we have a punch for uh, we have a punch on for dressing up at home. Yes, we start planning on Halloween colastumes at like I don't know Easter, literally, like we go to M and J. Jerming's. We have our blu guns on. We have like we only have four packets of clear glue sticks versus fabric glue sticks. I think we're better get some more challenge.

It's so much fun. It's so much was that the first or second episode of All Stars that you were on, it was like you were on I was on season ten but it was early Yeah, and you know, I he's so funny and I got to know him really well because it was a really long day and he was so great. We became friends from that. I had known him a little bit again for a long time because I would see him at Emmy things or you know,

just see in l A or whatever. And through that filming we became friends and and he's really cool, you know, he he was very Sweetie said he drove to all the Max stores in the Los Angeles area. He bought everyone out of my brown eyeliner because I was like a girl, it's really hard to find a brown that turns up on I was like, I know, that's why, Yes, your brown works on him really well. Yeah, my round,

I had a I did. I designed a makeup lind for mac Um earlier this year, and um he you know, he just loved it, because you know, I love makeup. I'm like, this step away from being a drag queen if you let me go. It's really they were going to have a full contour, honestly, wage contouring. Okay, So let's ask the question that we ask every 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 as 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 steady heart study. I was like, yeah, whatever, you know. I saw a Different World and I was like, wait, you get to live away from your parents? Interesting what I do? Wow,

I haven't seen it. I've never seen. A Different World is a classic. It is the spinoff when Lisa Bone got kicked off of Cosby being sexually to Cosby the irony and for doing Angel Heart with Milosh you directed by Milosh Foreman with what's his name Mickey Roy. Yeah, that was a sexy They did not get along. They did Lisa and Bill Cosby and so basically they knew Lisa. It was a star, and they said, well we're going

to do this other show was good for her. Yeah, and so and so you watched a Different World and you were like, oh, this is I want to be Lisa. Yes, totally. But like my culture, all my cultural touchstones start from TV. So really I am the generation of MTV. Yes, MTV started right at the time I was hitting puberty and I was like, what I remember like watching Cindi lauper I am Member when we didn't know who was going to be the bigger star Cyndy Lauperta. Yeah, 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 then fall asleep after 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 you know, 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. Microwaves really came out around the time of m Culture number fourteen, but I actually know it's and I think it's literally like their articles about this about how Velvita came out the same time that MTV did, and like making helpmade nachos was like wet hand and now Velvito was before. So I may be wrong, but you can make Velvita at home without movie with real cheese, like you can eat as long as you add sour salt, like, oh my god, to um cheese, gray cheese. It'll melt better,

isn't it. Isn't there some irony in a way where it's like you're making cheese and like actual cheese into something sort of worse than I mean, here's here's a real true confession. Please. I like this nasty movie theater nachos like hot cheese because it's so creamy. I love it, but I won't get it unless they have the pickled halapenos like more, no more. You know I'm gonna get through half these chips. Oh my god, palapenos are going to be gone. This is the beginning of it. I

don't think so, honey. The halapenos have to be because otherwise it's just sodium on its very basic. It's very basic without very basic without them. But I love it that hot cheese. Did you almost burn your fingers sticking into Do you have a favorite music video from that time? Yes, um, hungry like the Wolf. They filmed it in Sri Lanka. I think Duran durand years later, I um, I mean, I wasn't like the biggest freak. I didn't have posters

and stuff that was so teenage. I was already like in my mid twenties when I was a freshman, like mentally and emotionally, but I did I did love Duran Durance. So later, when I actually was twenty two or twenty four 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 that because I was so start struck. What

is is there? What is is there some quality about Diranda in that like makes them stand out above What's I mean? Like, I mean they were pretty sad. 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 the whole different thing. Prince and Michael Jackson. Yes, I remember when we thought Prince was the weird one. Michael, yeah,

he was. He was like bracing the Yeah. So like these were the first white men that were actually like we're going to address like really fabulous and we're eyeliner and everything. But we're straight. And you know, I I my best friend was gay in high school and so no, I mean I 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 life then, which is yeah, 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 nineties, I used to live in Milan in Paris, and then I moved back to the States at the end of my late twenties and so um, I had an apart with apartment with him again for a bit. But I mean, most of

my I'm so embedded in the culture. You know, I'm just gay without the sex icon and like, so is that do gay men like literally throw themselves at you, Like I'm I'm so happy that they do. I think my pollen is what every gay b needs, what every that's a title of every gay, every gay being gorgeous

and poetic. You get the sense to some people like it takes them a minute to adjust to being a gay icon, like even back in the they like share, yeah, you know what I mean, Like she I think it took a second because even remember she had to calibrate and adjust to that. Well when Chaz first came out as a lean, when was chasted, like it was this moment and shares on the record of saying like I felt that I had failed as a parent. And that's right, right,

So she's seventy something years old. That's why. Yeah, I know, No, I didn't have to adjust. I mean I was I was praying on Ben Didney for the crown, like what I mean with on my gays, like I openly invited it, like when I was living in Laws. I'm from New York and I grew up, you know, my early childhood here because 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 and l A, We'll remember this.

There was a gay club on Santa Monica Boulevard where the French market still stands, called Peanuts. Peanuts 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 or you go to the covey hole that is it, and yes, which is fine, but um um, you know, my boyfriend doesn't like to go there with me anymore because you said it's like worse than fighting off men. But like it's I 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 they are like these very European elegant um women women, lesbians women at the bar. They were probably lesbians, but like very you know, lipstick lesbians, like you know, picture like Jane Fonda. You know. 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 mean, put it for you. It was the era when Madonna was dating but really close to Sandra Bernhardt, three would show up at Peanuts so extended there, howord I love that And they would have these 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's a guy. But I didn't really know about Tucking then, you know, so maybe it was a guy. You know, I didn't know.

So I was really around that a lot, like at fourteen, at fifteen sixteen, so you know, I I'm very comfortable in that element because it was a part of your culture. It is it is really a part of my culture. I mean, I um, I remember also New York in the seventies, you know, because 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, yeah, you couldn't do that now, but you know, we all and people would, you know, the kids were carded to these parties, you know what I mean. No, no, no, no, not that bad. But I did go to the I mean I would have been seven, but 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. Everyone's on the kinzie. Yes, I agree, but um, you know, I just I feel at home there. Wow. I mean this is start. A lot of our crew on Top Chef is actually really love. Do you only 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's a group, a core group of us. Like my stylist is gay, my makeup artist is gay, My um assistant on the show is gay, you know, And that's just like my little mini tribe with 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.

A lot of the a lot of the chefs are come in in the require order and then and there's no What I think Top Chef has done that a lot of other reality competition shows I didn't used to do was that it didn't make They wouldn't make 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 Right, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. It matters, but not when cooking doesn't matter

if you're a man or a woman. Yes, exactly when you're watching Project One Way two when you find out one of the designers is straight, and it's like, whoa, what you had to do that with the impedi men of like missing. In fact, I think one of the winners, one of the one one of the finalists, was like a straight man who was just like very European and shot.

I did not realize he was until the end, and I was like Dmitri or something, but like I was like, but like he was like so talented, and I was like, okay, well you cantinue to open your mind. Man. Actually I three years later, but I'm almost like within pages of finishing um tinny easy between the world and me. It's so good, it's so I've inhaled it like I started yesterday, and it's great. It makes me want to have a kid. But also it's it's the suffused and tragedy and racial.

It's so right, it's so succinctly and poetically beautiful, really renders the situation palpable. You know, I read all kinds of funky things. The other thing I read was The Year of Yes, Yes, Yes. I love a celebrity autobiography 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 you get it. It's a true

slice of life. It's true and like what I like about it is like it's someone telling their own story which speaks volumes. Yes you know what I mean, Yes, yes, it's true. It's like how important they think they are, like you know, definitely, how their take on the situations. Like I think that some of these different though Lena's book is a book of essays, and you know, it's different than a memoir looking back. The best memoir, one of the best memoirs I think ever written, is called

The Liars Club by Mary Carr. She's a poet. I mean, you will, you'll love it. It feels like um Laura during movie like wild at Heart, Like it's just it's beautiful and it actually I think, you know, sent this kind of rebirth or this renaissance and memoir writing in this country like ten years ago whatever she's very talented. I I was. I love that book. It's one of my favorite books. Yeah. I like memoirs too, I really do. I there's if I know something's coming out, I'll always like,

you know which one I really want to read? Which is old now? But I really want to read it because what Nia Ferris is great too. I'm sure. Oh, I'm sure that one is rich. It's so rich. So is Jane Fondas. Did you based on the memoir just Talk? I thought it was only me who like Sonic of my life in periods of the men I've hated. That was so phenomenal. We all do that. I mean after you get out of school, Like, what are the measure do you have? Structure? Just sor I'm a Dave, my Carlos,

a Teddy. I'm I'm in my post Hansel phase right now. Oh my God spoke his name whatever, Hancil. He's great. I'm getting dinner with him on Thursday. We're going to hang still friends. No, we like. He 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. Yeah, you have to just be you know, sometimes you just have to cut the finger off the sod my eye lived with my X after we broke up for seven more months. I'm looking back and I was like, oh, I should have gotten out of there. Matt and Matt nurse to the finger, Matt polished, I put a new nail on the thing. Yes, yes, no, but yeah, you gotta. I'm I'm taking my dating advice from Pad. Absolutely. Yeah, it's great. She's lived so many, so many and I love the hair,

the different hairstyles. It wasn't that amazing? Amazing? The clute hairstyle is beyond and then the Barbarella. Yes, can we talk? Yes, we do? Forget how many, how how much icononography there is with Jane found in the Vietnam War, the Aerobic That was probably one of my first touchstones really, and I was very very young, and I remember my mom buying it. Yeah, the Bunch of Steel, Yes, I think so we had that. Did you watch soap operas? Yes,

all my children children, Erica Kane, Erica Caine. This is the first time, my first like touchstones of like womenhood, celebrity, idol, worship, fashion, hair. I mean when I started watching Erica Caine. She had a full on bouffant. She was, but she was the bitch goddess she was. She was the first, like fun to watch diva's And I think, like people like Susan Lucci is like a punchline now because of it, and was going to say, Susan Lucci is a part of culture.

She was, yeah, well, Susan Lucci Eric but my mother one. 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 shoot. I was like, oh my god, she is even the fact that my immigrant mother kept up with all my children, like just says it was. I don't know what it was because and I don't know when the how I

watched it except because I went to it. No, but it was on at one right even though I guess everyone or like you know, Columbus or whatever, because like I got sent to India every summer and my mother worked full time, so I don't know like when you could, 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, and husband seven or eight she ends up with husbands. It was fucking crazy. Yeah, there's

just something. She had so many different lots and she was always want to watch and Susan she always played it for everything. It was worse. It was camp in the best way and just on and off the screen. It's like you keep up with the marriages. It's it's it's the Liz Taylor of it all. I also miss on TV. Yeah, I missed the camp of television, right, you know, it's sort of it looked like it was going to come back with Empire, yes, and it kind

of didn't didn't. It feels like it's still on and I like people still watch it, but it's not as like culturally powerful as it was the first reason she was fully doing that was such a juicy juice. Well that's what I saw glitter as. I saw it as camp, But I think we were all in a different movie, like I saw it as care But you know you were greatly that you singing, Yeah, it's so good, and

I was actually because it's hard to sing bad. I mean I sing that normally, but it's hard to like trying to behind my mind, I was in a comedy. You know like I don't know. I think I think you were. So the moment that you walk 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 Soak down,

turn Billy away, Oh my god, it's my life. But just the way that Patton walks into the dressing room with the manager, I'm just like that Howard. Of course, I was like, that person knows 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 in timidated by everyone else in the room. And so I know how I perceived

those people, and that's what I was playing. I was playing one of those people who had all the power. And it was so fun to experience what that was like, you know, and to pretend at that can I ask you a character think about Silk? Yeah, do you think that Silk knew that Terrence Howard was using Maria's voice over her? And then she was in on it. She was like, yeah, we'll use this ghost voice. And I don't think she cared. She didn't care. She was just out.

She didn't want to know the details. Just make me a fucking start. You heard it from the source herself. We've all been asking about what silk motivations. Honestly, that's how I played it. You know, there's another scene in there which sadly gets cut where you know, there's a fight that happens between Mariah and Max Beasley's actor. Yeah, I don't know what he was doing in that movie either.

I'm like, you couldn't find somebody from America within Like I love Maxi's you know, I used to live in London, so I know him a little bit. Great actor and a great guy. But I was like, this is such weird gasting. It's weird. They couldn't get like, yeah, it's weird. They couldn't get someone like like a McConaughey. It's actually he's doing Mary Mark drag, but the character was British. The character was literally Mark. He came in and did the whole mocky mock thing like they had a dialog

coach on there. I think, So I don't know if it was for him, and there were a lot of people on set, but I mean, and this was when Maria was dating Louis Luis Miguel and you would see there this is when people still use limousines. And maybe I can tell you from having just seen her in Goanas she uses it's like a black Okay, Well, these were the days of like those really long and they're

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 like whatever the ones that hadn't eaten here, you guys going to have the rest. She had the craziest boyfriends there and then Derek J. Jeter. Did she go out with Derek Jeeter during the like butterfly eraw my all when that was a single, she was, well,

Mariah and that's been in was my number one. They're all these holes in my popular And when I was not only working, but you know, I was sent back to India evere summer, so like when hair came out, I was not there for certain like Star Wars movies. I don't like Star Wars. I mean, I don't not like Star Wars. Actually just come for you. Well my prerequisite white mail over there. But you know, like it's just it's weird, like you know, so they're all these

holes in pockets. So I must have missed Derek Jeter and everyone was the fact that they were both bi racial. That was like a story in the news. But I think they and then maybe even it was like something for one of them said like we understand each other because they're both super famous and also bi racial. But that was like a thing or at least that my ten year old brain 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, I would play the Butterfly album out and so did say You've got me feeling emotion. That was so that was But this was like once I started to actually like music. It was like nineties seven and I I love that Butterfly album and so she was like at the height for me when later came out. So literally PANDMA. On the day of nine eleven, my mother pulled me

out of school because of what was happening. We lived in Long Island, and I was like and I was like, are you taking me out? Because you know how excited I am to get the Glitter album. My mom was like, no, um, 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'm so I've been so excited for September eleven one

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 and literally four literally, so I was like, I was like whatever. 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 gonna freak out. So then she took me to the store. The workers at the store were like, we are not We're gonna go home?

Are you crazy? My mom was like, just give me because like it's just gonna make anything for everyone. And we got it. And so, while like everyone was dealing with that day, I was listening to like you that freaking thing. It's a it's very good front to back. I love that ship. Yes, just like just like how my coming to New York story has pad mr fused in it. You're nine eleven story, but I'm deep in

it in it, let me tell you. And I actually I don't think I saw them in theaters just because eleven, but I had the album and I still think hashtag Justice for Glitter just like it's true. Like I you know, one of my most proud things. There's this ice cream place, um called the Big a ice Cream Yeah we know, okay, well, um, one year for Balance, I say, they asked if they could do my recipe and all of their soft serve machine Oh my god, Rose pedal and they did a

card of him one 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 Shop, I was like, there's this ice cream store in the village and I made them make I was like, you don't need have to pay me, just give me, like make me a cake

for Christiana's birthday, because her birthday February. And I was so happy because the only other person they have done that with at the time was be Arthur, because they do the Golden Girls stuff. They have all the Golden Girl's characters, and I have made it. Now. Maybe that's the title of m I can't let go of this thing that hadn't I said earlier where she was like, because like what the culture that you take in defines

who you are. 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, people come at you with respect but also re relatability in this way that is so balanced and so so comforting and so wonderful. UM, so thank you for coming on.

Thank you. I don't think so hunt Yes, which is our segment. That's UM Birth Many a live show. We are going on tour and you can buy tickets UM online. We're on sale now. We're going to be in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver for JFL, Dallas, Austin, fer Moon Tower, Houston, d C, Boston, and Philly. So all those city used and probably more going to be added. We're very excited. It's gonna be February through April and we're gonna be

doing I don't think so honey live. So now it's I don't think so honey for one minute to rant against something in culture. Can I ask you when you're gonna be oh April nineteen for south By South but not for south By But things could happen when we happen where we go. Um yeah, if work, let's up, I will definitely if work, let's up, let's up, let's up. Yeah, yeah, you know how they let up? It was this thing after I did our comedy show at ascat TV. Yeah.

I loved it so much. I love them so much the last time because I did improv with them years and years ago. I remember them, yes, and as part of this like you know thing because they were on because they did show that. This was like way back when I was pregnant and I had a car toon on my way there, so like CV since then, but it was great. Yeah, it was so cool. Yeah. They had to do storytelling you monologues and stuff, and then they improvised so fun. You're the perfect estra that I

wanted to improvise with them, he liked. Of him, Oh my god, an improp star. Yeah. Okay, so Matt, Matt and I will go first that we have pad Matt, and then we'll close out. I have a good one, you have a good one. Here. This is Matt Rodgers is I don't think so, honey, and his time starts and 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 to impress me that you don't care about

pop culture. I'm specifically talking honey to my lift driver in l A, who was the chattiest of them all, and you know they get chatty on the lifts, and l A, who said to me after I got out of a podcast, 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 Afflet and Manchester

by the Sea. And I'm like, okay, so if you don't know celebrities, why the hell well do you have an opinion on Casey Affleck and this niche ass movie. And I'll tell you why. It's because you only said that to try to impress, because it's the straight male thing that's like heater thing, 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 bit and oh my god, spirited. I don't know if I can do this is I don't think when you were talking about what were you talking about? Just you got fired up about nachos, about the movie theater Nachos? I did, But I think I have something better. So, but but can you believe I can't believe you think it's like cool. Celebrities doesn't mean pop cultures exactly. Pop culture is so much more than celebrities to do with people.

I hate that word celebrity too, because everyone's a celebrity, you know, everyone is. That's the problem. That's like five minutes and their celebrity. I mean, Matt. I like to say people of note people, but I will say Twitter and Instagram, thank you for my new blue check. Got you got blue check on Twitter too? Yes, congrats, thank you thing. You probably been verified since the age of one, so you don't even care started started last. I was

born before Twitter. My fame was born before Twitter and the verified life. Okay, so this is Bowen Yanks. I don't think so, honey, And as time starts now, I don't think so, honey. White elephant, honey, this is the Christmas season, do not Yes, white elephants are structurally flawed. It's for the fact that other people can steal. Is just crushes people's dreams. And I am 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 study sexually insane. I was just part of the New York Magazine strategist Celebrity White elephant gift exchange. I got gorgeous a bars locks um from someone. It was great. I mean, it's it's locks so I'll eat it vacuum

had they'll ship it to me in a box. 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 personal. It's literally impersonal and therefore Secret Santas 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 is support and I didn't know if I have too much champagne for the mind, A grateful for the ground, so grateful for the champions, I don't know. I don't like white elephants. I don't like Secret Santa's either. I think, you know, gifts should only be given when really felt like there's a reason to give a gift. We don't. In my family. We only give gifts to

the kids. And everyone wants to know, you know, Christian wants and I'm like, she doesn't need anything about their pants which she keeps looking. And she's a New Yorker. She wants to become a pop star. She does, and she will become when yet Yes, all right, listen, this is Poma. I don't think so, honey. And your time starts now. Okay, did you steal that from me when time starts now? Because that's what I mean. Sure, let's say we did. We still your time starts now, we'll

say let's say, yes, we still love from you. But all you have to do is say I don't think so, honey, and go for you steal this from us? Ready, and your time starts now? I don't think so, honey. I have to tell you what I really get upset about is, um, I've been getting a little bit of slut shamming fan mail, which I guess is not 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 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 chefs. I'm like, well, then, why are you talking about my nipples? I don't think. 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 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 one minute quote unquote fan mail unbelievable. And also there, I mean, it's not about the look, but the hat that you were Television is a visual medium and otherwise it's a stainless steel kitchen, and most people in coats chef coats, you know what I mean. Like, I like to dress the way I like to dress. Like like, it's not about your clothes. I'm like, that's right, So I can dress how I want. I'm at in the

kitchen cooking, but that fascinator was happulous. I was going to say, I was going to compliment the fascinator that look so chic. That was such a good triumph. Albert did a great job that day. That was a Brandon Maxwell Maxwell 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 slay it for him. Thank you want. The only thing I could think of was like, oh, I have great hair this season. I have like yeah, yeah, my girlfriend Genie Genie who is my hairdresser on the show, she also does me, you know in New York. Whenever I've read carpet or what if she's fantastic, we just get bored. Yes, I'm like, I don't know, funck it.

Let's you know, like all the way to the floor. Yeah, yeah, we have done like you're going to see there's the twenties episode like episode it's a great Bellman dress and a real like Louise Brooks BG. 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 and I was like, I really took it her personally because you know, I have a daughter, so and i find myself on top Shop being one of the few things you can watch with all your family, and I'm just like, you know, we're going over no no, And I just felt like, you know, I think I've done my share for for the ladies, you know, as far as fighting, Like I

was like, I was so mad. You know, I think we also we have such a weird relationship to sexuality and naturalness. 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 watched those I've watched episodes where I'm like, oh, Padma looks nice, great and what about the food. I mean, it can coexist in this space way. People are not just one thing.

We're all layered, complicated, multifaceted, dimensional human being, 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 Taylor Swift,

where is that ship all the time? And it is about women of color, and it is about women with certain body types when they were certain things, like when they were alter tops, etcetera. 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 sending 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 you know, can coexist and do coexist, and they will continue to exist. They are This was the episode. I had so much fun and this is so great. I feel like if I'm oh, wait, what we have to ask you? What did you do Union Square last. Oh my god, oh my god, Yes, thank you for asking.

I I got the biggest sugar rush of my life. I felt like Daffy Deaf for the rest of the day. I hosted and judged this holiday bake off Kellogg's. So I go to the Union Square green Market and I go there like twice a week to buy whatever vegetables and brand and stuff. And I always saw this little Kellogg's logo across the street by Barnes and No when I was like, what the hell is that? And I actually thought it was like their corporate headquarters. It's actually a cafe you go into and it has like a

cereal bar, like sixteen handles like all of that. That's my dreams, WiFi and their couches. It's like, you know Central Perk from friends. That'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 at least Kellogg's cereal in

their holiday dessert. And so I did that just a couple of days ago and the winning dish was this amazing pear and very frosted flakes tart, and she won because she did this genius thing. First of all, she ground up the frosted flakes and use them in the crust of the tart. And also like these short red

star cookies that she used to decorate powdered sugar. But she also made the cream custard with um Kellogg's frosted flakes soaked in the heavy cream until they got super soggy for twenty minutes, then strained it, then use that so you have cereal milk flavored custard under the fruit, which is sliced razor thin with nothing but a pairing knife. She didn't Madaline. No Mandoline, I asked her because I was like these you are really o c D. And

it was so beautiful. That's amazing beautiful. You can you go on the red side if you want to. If you have a death bullish and want to reproduce this, we have to go to this. I think we gotta go. I will meet you there on Monday. When's your Friday? Now? The market isn't on Tuesday and Thursday. Usually they're between eleven thirty and twelve thirty love that will buy Our preserves are bread and then well, oh my god, there's such good preserves. They have a chili jam, which is

the hottest fire hell have an arrow jam. It loves so delicious. Try chili jam on toast with peanut butter. You will die A spice spicy queen. I mean different than 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 from sixteen seasons, 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 chutney's.

I'm a big condiment girl, because if you have good condiments in the first you can just fling a dollar something in a frying pan, grilled some fish or chicken thigh, you know, will some spinach in the pan, juices. And 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 tell you something. I don't want to talk about that first lady, badly,

but I don't want to. I don't want to do Michelle Obama because I love her and worship the girl and she walks on. But I read the preface of her autobiography, Becoming, and I almost it was like nails on a chalkboard that I was reading that Michelle Obama microwave to grilled cheese, and I was like, no, I just care about her image. Just fine. But I was just like, no, girl, let me show you the way.

This is an opportunity. It's an opportunity for you to just to just strike up a relationship with her where you show her the way. Oh. I do have to ask Patma, 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 dollars million dollar chicken thing. I think it's so funny. I used it as a meme's so because I would have been I think the same thing so many times

in a day. And the thing is, I thank God and we have to end on that now. Oh my god, Padma, thank you so much for being here. The show is top chef. I mean, you know what, you love it and you know Padma, you love Padma, Um. I want you to listen to my memoir. I really do. I mean I'm going to. And you said becoming And actually I know for a fact that my mother got me becoming for Christmas, but I would imagine she is. Um. Well, anyway, we'll close out with the song as we all is?

Do you know you will? Here we go? Here, we got myself a lover come every times, good daddy, There's wherever where we go with Delirium Sime. This has been a Forever Dog production executive produced by Brett Bahum, Joe Cilio, and Alex Ramsey. For more original podcasts, please visit Forever Dog Podcasts dot com and subscribe to our shows on

Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keep up with the latest Forever Dog news by following us on Twitter and Instagram at Forever Dog Team, and liking our page on Facebook.