--- description: Find out why Padma Lakshmi is one of the 100 most influential people of 2023. title: Padma Lakshmi: The 100 Most Influential People of 2023 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt59298594df8dadfa/698a3be10116826663982eb2/Padma-Lakshmi-time100-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Apr 13, 2023 # Padma Lakshmi by Ali Wong  Nathan Congleton—NBC/Getty Images The first time I met [Padma Lakshmi](https://time.com/5833419/padma-lakshmi-quarantine/ "undefined") was after one of my shows in Los Angeles. It was around 11 p.m., and when she noticed the craft table covered in charcuterie, she pointed and said, “I think I need to hit that.” I thought, “Oh, wow. She eats for real for real.” It’s Padma’s genuine love of food—and how freaking smart she is—that makes her electric to watch as the host of [_Top Chef_](https://time.com/collection/reality-tv-most-influential-seasons/6200456/top-chef/ "undefined")_,_ currently in its 20th season, and _Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi,_ which returns for a second season in May. It also helps that she’s drop-dead gorgeous. Padma is an incredible writer, and that really shines through when she speaks. She’s articulate and has a strong point of view. When I was a guest judge on _Top Chef,_ I was shocked by how honest and unafraid she was of being disliked. She’s brave in that way. I’m always in awe of Padma because, yes, she really is that beautiful, talented, and charismatic. She’s iconic. _Wong is a comedian, actor, and an Emmy-nominated writer_ Padma Lakshmi Is on the 2023 TIME 100 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269895/padma-lakshmi/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269895/padma-lakshmi/"},"headline":"Padma Lakshmi","datePublished":"2023-04-13T10:32:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:22:05.316Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269895/padma-lakshmi/","keywords":["TIME 100","franchise","sponsorshipblock","TIME100 2023"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt59298594df8dadfa/698a3be10116826663982eb2/Padma-Lakshmi-time100-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt59298594df8dadfa/698a3be10116826663982eb2/Padma-Lakshmi-time100-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269895/padma-lakshmi/","name":"Padma Lakshmi"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME100 | The 100 Most Influential People of 2023","description":"See all the people on Time's 2023 Time 100 list","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/P6RIsapV/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2023-04-13T10:30:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/P6RIsapV.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269895/padma-lakshmi/","duration":"PT1M53S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269895/padma-lakshmi/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```