Colicchio did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Officials from NBCUniversal and Magical Elf, the production company of “Top Chef,” praised and thanked Lakshmi in a statement, suggesting that the show will continue. “While we will miss her on the jury and as Executive Producer, we will forever be grateful for her unwavering dedication to connecting with Chef Testant and Bravo audiences alike.” CEO Casey Criley and Joe Sharon said. She was a magical elf, the statement said.
Lakshmi, 52, an Indian-born model, author and activist, has been hailed for infusing reality TV with grace and humor and becoming the unmistakable face of the series.
Last month, the second season of Lakshmi’s other TV show, Taste the Nation, aired on Hulu. In it, she travels through America and explores what it means to cook and eat in America.
Also featured last month Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, posing in a gold coin bikini. “This is me,” she wrote alongside a video of her photo shoot. Post to Instagram. “Even if you paid me all the money in the world, I wouldn’t go back to my 20s.”
Her first cookbook, Easy Exotic, was published in 1999. Since then she has published several other books. Memoir “Love, Loss, and What We Ate”. Reference book “Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs”. and her children’s book, Tomatoes for Neela.
Brett Anderson Contributed to the report.
