Padma Lakshmi Paid To Get Offstage At The Moth

Apparently, the virtue of Being Hot does not excuse Padma Lakshmi from Being Annoying, as evidenced by her behavior at this week's food-themed Moth reading.

One front-row audience member found Lakshmi "so grating" as a host that he stood up in the middle of her story and cowed to give The Moth $1,000 if she would just shut up already and get offstage...which she did.

Grub Street's review of the reading noted that Padma showed off her "crude and kooky side" by cussing at the audience and burping on stage. She then told an "unscripted" (others used the word "rambling") tale about wanting a hot dog, leading some people to question whether or not she was sober.

Lakshmi’s rep said, “She was not intoxicated but having fun in an unscripted format," and Moth spokeswoman Catherine Burns told us that Padma volunteered to match all of the audience's donations, "something that's never been done in the 14-year history of The Moth." Burns called it "a wonderful evening that the audience overwhelmingly loved." Of course! What's not to love about a foul-mouthed model ranting about tube steaks? We'd be more than happy to treat her to one of these bad boys.

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By Jamie Feldmar in Food on September 15, 2011 1:33 PM

Comments [rss]

darnY

Beauty is impermanent. I, on the other hand, am awesome FOREVER.

jku

i was there. She felt like she was intoxicated or on drugs as she made a hint later on in one of her stories about one of the story tellers as the best friend you want to get caught "smoking" in the bathroom with. The whole evening she was rambling on her stories and was more Crass then "cooky".

To get to the point of her matching donations took a good 15 minutes. She first asked the question how much does a pizza cost these days? As if she has never gone out and bought one in a while since she's so famous. After she figures out it's about $20..she then goes on to muse that there are 900 people in the audience and a pizza costs $20 and proceeds to try to do the math in her head and fails and goes "well you know the math". Then she goes can I have $20? Can you give me $20. She then starts to ask for the address of the Moth Headquarters, while the whole audience was like...what the hell? Finally she got to the point she would match donations if you brought $20 to the Moth Headquarters, say the word "basil" and tell them Padma Lakshmi sent you. The Audience gave some clapping applause since it was nice of her to do this, but then she continued to ramble. She then started to point at one section of the crowd and told everyone to raise their hands and promise her they would give her $20. Obviously no one raised their hands, but she kept it up, and finally some people raised their hands. You can kind of see where she's going with this. She was basically gonna go from section to section and panhandle for donations until FINALLY, and Mercifully some guy Stood up, shouted out he will give her $1,000 if she would get off the stage. I really think he saved her from embarrassing herself further. She was right at the edge of going over. And at the end of the night she was back on the podium saying some more things and people started leaving to go home, whether it's because of her or the show was simply over and it was time to go and she called everyone an asshole and told them to turn around and listen for her closing speech.

I kind of wish i videotaped this. Could be quite a youtube video special.

GREGORYABUTLER

I see Padma likes to put meat in her mouth....

Mike Pants

I must have been cursed by a gypsy at some point, because I had to work on the post-production of her first show, Melting Pot, and was gobsmacked at how they let a drunk person "cook" things when she had clearly never been in a kitchen before. She's one of those television personalities that I just don't understand. Why is she famous?

AlexTheOriginalPartyDog

You would think that after spending 7 years or so w/ Salman Rushdie she might have absorbed some storytelling ability.

Guest

I'm not a Padmuh fan, but she should have spit in that audience member's face.

taracorinne

I still can't get over her trying to deny the biological father rights to see his child if he wants to support the child financially and emotionally. The fact that a woman or man would try to do that to their child--deny the kid access to a sane and loving parent--upsets me, especially when there are so many children out there who don't even have one parent supporting them.

ANGRYGOD11

I can understand her, but don't approve. She is an older woman who had almost no medical chance of having a baby, but got that slim chance.

splicernyc

She was chopped -- or is that another show?

Emily Schubert

I was there, if I had that kind of cash to throw around, I would have doubled it. She truly was terrible. That guy shouting that basically redeemed the whole evening, which she was definitely railroading at that point.

longacre

Did she take the money or did she just leave?

AlexTheOriginalPartyDog

I think he offered the money as a donation to The Moth, but I could be wrong.

Cathy Messina

Wow, such hate. I've always liked her on Top Chef.

Pierce Inverarity

Vacuous homerun of the day! I knew it was out of the park as soon as it hit the bat!

High Five!

Peanut_Butter

I'd like her on top of my kitchen counter.

JaneJaneJane

Just to add fuel to your fire, I saw her in my local bodega. She was fresh from a run, glistening with sweat (yes, she actually glistened) and looked GORGEOUS. She is even more stunning in person.

Sha

Went to Bergdorfs when she launched her jewelry line, not actually expecting to see her there. Even when she had the baby bump, she was beyond GORGEOUS.