Padma Lakshmi's Daughter Is Growing Up Fast

Padma Lakshmi, best known for hosting the critically acclaimed television show "Top Chef" on Bravo, welcomed daughter Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell on February 20, 2010. Though raising a child in the harsh glare of the public eye isn't always easy, Krishna sure seems proud of how her mom's done so far. In a 2020 chat with Avenue magazine, Padma's daughter called her own birth her mom's "greatest achievement" — and Padma wouldn't argue with that assessment. The TV personality chimed in, "Which I also think, for the record, is my favorite thing that I've ever done."

Sure, Padma has created an incredible career for herself and raked in awards for her work on "Taste the Nation" and "Top Chef," but as far as she's concerned, there's more to life than all of that. "In ten years, I'm not going to look back and say, Oh, look at all these beautiful projects I've done. I'm going to say, Was I there for Krishna?" she once told Vulture. "So, do I have it all? Yes. Do I have it all, like I want it, at once? No."

While Padma has made an effort to keep Krishna's life relatively private, the reality TV veteran has given some glimpses into her daughter's story as she grows up.

A few years before Padma Lakshmi fell pregnant with Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell, she was diagnosed with endometriosis. When she received her diagnosis, she was told she most likely would not be able to have biological children. "I always knew I wanted to be a mother, but it wasn't a concrete idea until much later," she said on People's "Me Becoming Mom" podcast. "[The diagnosis] put the issue front and center in my mind, and I was devastated."

In 2009, she helped establish EndoFound (previously called Endometriosis Foundation of America) with Dr. Tamer Seckin. EndoFund initiated the nation's inaugural interdisciplinary research center for gynepathology in collaboration with Harvard Medical School and MIT. That same year, she learned she was pregnant with Krishna. Her pregnancy was not easy. As Padma recounted on "Me Becoming Mom,' she was diagnosed with placenta previa, which kept her in bed for three months. 

When she welcomed a healthy baby Krishna in 2010, Padma was overcome by emotion. "I was overjoyed, I've never known a happiness like that in my life. ... It almost breaks you in two, the happiness," she said. 

After her marriage to author Salman Rushdie came to an end, Padma Lakshmi decided to play the romantic field with Teddy Forstmann, a prominent American businessman, as well as Adam Dell, a venture capitalist. "I wasn't dishonest with either of them," Lakshmi said of her relationships with the two men in a 2016 NDTV interview. "I was an adult woman who was independent, and I led my life accordingly. ... Regardless of how Krishna got here, I am so thankful and blessed that she is here."

When Padma learned she was expecting Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell, she was dating Forstmann and had recently called things off with Adam. After the news of her pregnancy was made public, rumors and speculation surrounding the identity of the father bubbled up. "It certainly was icky when the press started snooping around," she recounted on the "Me Becoming Mom" podcast. In "Love, Loss and What We Ate" (via People), the food expert wrote about how difficult it was for Forstmann to learn that Adam was the father. 

Though Krishna initially did not take her biological father's last name, that didn't stick. As Page Six reported in 2012, Adam won a lawsuit against Padma that granted him visitation and made sure his last name was added to their daughter's birth certificate.  

Although not her biological father, Teddy Forstmann expressed a heartfelt desire to raise Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell as his own. Forstmann's role in Krishna's life was emblematic of a father's love. His bond with her was not predicated on biological ties but was rooted in deep affection and a sincere commitment to her well-being.

As Padma shared in "Love, Loss and What We Ate," Forstmann asked Padma Lakshmi to keep the identity of Krishna's biological father under wraps. This request was not born out of a desire for secrecy but was reflective of his earnest wish to cement his role as Krishna's father in every sense. "I think neither of us knew what was going to happen but he was resolute in making sure I wasn't alone," she wrote. "He held my hand and he held it very publicly."

Forstmann died the year after Krishna was born. Padma has opened up about leading a one-parent household. "In truth, I am a single mother. But I don't feel alone at all in parenting my daughter," she explained to Yahoo! Shine (via People). "Krishna has a whole other side of her family who loves her, too. And so Krishna is parented by me, but also by her grandmother and aunts and cousins and uncles and friends."

When she was still a toddler, Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell was left a sizable amount of money by her father figure. According to the New York Daily News, before Teddy Forstmann died in 2011, he had reportedly set aside a large portion of his wealth as a trust fund for Krishna. His estate, valued by Forbes at $1.8 billion, was amassed through his successful career as a partner at the investment firm Forstmann Little & Company and chairman and CEO of IMG, a global sports and media company. As noted in the Daily Mail, the exact amount left to Krishna was not made public.

This early inheritance presumably set Krishna for life. (That said, it is worth noting that her mom, Padma Lakshmi, is rather well-off on her own, too.) "It may be just an education trust," trust and estate expert Arlene Harris said, per the New York Daily News. "But it sounds like he was closest to this woman. There's more to it here."

Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell's mom, Padma Lakshmi, is a renowned food expert with a passion for all things culinary. Evidently, the apple did not fall far from the tree. Following in her mom's footsteps, Krishna enjoys spending time in the kitchen and trying out various recipes. And it sounds like having Padma on speed dial sure comes in handy. "The other day she FaceTimed me to ask, 'Mom, how hot does oil have to be to fry chicken?' I was like, 'What? That's too dangerous!' Padma recalled in a 2020 issue of Parents (via People). "But she was adamant about doing it, so I walked her through the steps." 

The former "Top Chef" host went on to note that Krishna already had prepped the ingredients and tools for the process. "When I asked her how she knew how to do it, she said, 'Mom, I've been watching you for years!'" Padma said.

Padma's daughter has also appeared on the Hulu docuseries "Taste the Nation." To honor Krishna's Ashkenazi Jewish side of the family, Padma and Krishna filmed a Chanukah-themed segment together. This led to more kitchen fun and antics with mother and daughter sharing the screen on TV and TikTok.

During the pandemic, Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell and Padma Lakshmi found joy in creating TikTok videos together. As Padma shared on "Live with Kelly and Ryan," their content includes cooking, dancing, and everything in between. "She's much more creative than I am," Padma gushed. "I'm very proud of her."

As a pre-teen during the quarantine, Krishna didn't waste any time continuing to learn the ins and outs of cooking while trying to teach her mom how to dance in short TikTok bursts. While Krishna may have taken to cooking quickly, Padma evidently struggled with the TikTok dances. "The truth is, I never felt so uncoordinated before in my life," the TV star said in a chat with Extra. "I always thought I was a good dancer, but all of a sudden, I feel like I'm half mime, half cheerleader."

Padma did have reservations about allowing her kid on social media, so she reached out to others for advice. Ultimately, she made the decision to allow Krishna to post. As time went on, Padma reversed her decision. She told Us Weekly in April 2023, "I took social media away from her because I felt like she was comparing herself to a lot of people and images that really aren't good for a teenage girl."

Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell, whose father is Jewish, honored her coming-of-age with a bat mitzvah. "I am going to Texas because Krishna's Jewish side of the family is doing a bat mitzvah for her this weekend, so that's exciting," Padma Lakshmi shared on her Substack in March 2022. "She's a big girl, she just turned 12. She also got her nose pierced recently, it looks fantastic." 

A few months later, Padma posted some sweet photos from her daughter's big day. "This year, Littlehands got her nose pierced, took her braces off, and celebrated her Bat Mitzvah!! A big year for my baby girl," the proud mom wrote on Instagram. 

Krishna also honors her mother's culture and faith. Padma, who was born in India, is Hindu, and she and Krishna celebrate Diwali together year after year. And when Krishna was a tot, Padma shaved her head as part of the mundan ceremony, a traditional Hindu practice. "Krishna was very proud of her shaved head. I prepared her for it," she told Avenue (via Straus Media).

While Padma Lakshmi initially concealed her baby daughter's face on social media, that didn't last forever. As Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell grows up, she's stepped out in the public eye more and more. In 2023, Krishna and Padma walked the red carpet in New York City for the annual EndoFound Blossom Ball. And a few years before that, Krishna made her red carpet debut when she went to the Emmys. That said, her mom was careful to keep her out of the spotlight at the event. As Padma told Access Hollywood, "I feel like she should just have her privacy and do her thing, and so that's why I didn't bring her up with me here [to the interview box]." 

What's more, the "Taste the Nation" host stopped obscuring her daughter's face on Instagram. When a fan asked Padma on Instagram (via Today) why she no longer hides Krishna's face on social media, the TV star playfully responded, "I just, in quarantine it became hard to always keep her out of the kitchen. I wanted to be helpful to people by doing the little cooking videos and she would always come in. Now I've just given up because there are tons of pics of us together from paparazzi on the streets of NYC anyway. So I'm not sure what I achieved by always putting stars in her eyes."

As a toddler, Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell became a billionaire. According to the New York Daily News, before Teddy Forstmann died in 2011, he had reportedly set aside a large portion of his wealth for Lakshmi-Dell, ensuring her financial security for life. The estate, valued by Forbes at $1.8 billion, was amassed through his successful career as a partner at the investment firm Forstmann Little & Company and chairman and CEO of IMG, a global sports and media company.

As a beneficiary of Forstmann's estate, Lakshmi-Dell was introduced to a life of affluence at an age when most are oblivious to the concepts of wealth and financial security. This early inheritance, a result of Forstmann's affection and commitment to her well-being, effectively made Lakshmi-Dell a billionaire by the age of two. This bequest is a reflection of the depth of Forstmann's attachment to Lakshmi-Dell and his desire to ensure that she was well taken care of, even in his absence.

Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell's mom, Padma Lakshmi, is a renowned food expert with a passion for all things culinary. Evidently, the apple did not fall far from the tree. Following in her mom's footsteps, Krishna enjoys spending time in the kitchen and trying out various recipes. And evidently, having Padma on speed dial sure comes in handy. "The other day she FaceTimed me to ask, 'Mom, how hot does oil have to be to fry chicken?' I was like, 'What? That's too dangerous!' Padma recalled in a 2020 issue of Parents (via People). "But she was adamant about doing it, so I walked her through the steps." 

The former "Top Chef" host went on to note that Krishna already had prepped the ingredients and tools for the process. "When I asked her how she knew how to do it, she said, 'Mom, I've been watching you for years!'" Padma said. 

Krishna also appeared in Padma's Hulu docuseries "Taste the Nation." With Krishna's father being of Ashkenazi Jewish decent, it was reason enough for Padma and Krishna to film a Chanukah episode together. This lead to more kitchen fun and antics with mother and daughter sharing the screen on TV and TikTok.

With such a close mother-daughter relationship, it's no surprise that during the pandemic, Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell and Padma Lakshmi would start making TikTok videos together. They shared their quarantine videos on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" — from cooking to dancing and everything in between, the energy between them solidified the bond they share.

As a pre-teen during the quarantine, Krishna didn't waste any time continuing to learn the ins and outs of cooking while trying to teach her mom how dance in short TikTok bursts. Some viewers may have thought that Padma's dancing was an epic fail, but that just proved that Padma, who thought she was a good dancer, wasn't afraid to put her attempts out there. This lesson taught Krishna that it's okay not to be perfect all the time.

Padma had reservations about allowing Krishna on social media, so Padma reached out to others for advice and made the decision to allow Krishna to post. As time went on, Padma reversed her decision. She told Us Weekly, "I took social media away from her because I felt like she was comparing herself to a lot of people and images that really aren't good for a teenage girl."

As part of being half-Jewish and transitioning to a young adult, Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell had the opportunity to have a bat mitzvah. "I am going to Texas because Krishna's Jewish side of the family is doing a bat mitzvah for her this weekend, so that's exciting," Padma Lakshmi shared on her Substack in March 2022. "She's a big girl, she just turned 12. She also got her nose pierced recently, it looks fantastic." 

A few months later, Padma posted some sweet photos from her daughter's coming-of-age celebration. "This year, Littlehands got her nose pierced, took her braces off, and celebrated her Bat Mitzvah!! A big year for my baby girl," the proud mom wrote on Instagram. 

Krishna also honors her mother's side. Padma, who was born in India, practices Hindu, and she and Krishna celebrate Diwali together year after year. While chatting for a Vulture profile in 2020, Padma showed writer E. Alex Jung a clip of Krishna singing Carnatic music, which is a classical style of Indian music. 

While Padma Lakshmi initially concealed her baby daughter's face on social media, that didn't last forever. As Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell grows up, she's stepped out in the public eye more and more. In 2023, Krishna and Padma walked the red carpet in New York City for the annual EndoFound Blossom Ball. A few years before that, Krishna made her red carpet debut when she went to the Emmys. However, her mom was careful to keep her out of the spotlight at the event. As Padma told Access Hollywood, "I feel like she should just have her privacy and do her thing, and so that's why I didn't bring her up with me here [to the interview box]." 

What's more, the "Taste the Nation" host stopped obscuring her daughter's face on Instagram. When a fan asked Padma on Instagram (via Today) why she no longer hides Krishna's face on social media, the TV star playfully responded, "I know!! I just, in quarantine it became hard to always keep her out of the kitchen. I wanted to be helpful to people by doing the little cooking videos and she would always come in. Now I've just given up because there are tons of pics of us together from paparazzi on the streets of NYC anyway. So I'm not sure what I achieved by always putting stars in her eyes."