Padma Lakshmi gave her first video interview after opening up about the rape she survived as a teenager, to NBC’s Savanna Guthrie and Hoda Kotb of the Today Show. Talking about how she felt more empowered with age to speak out about things that mattered she said, “Honestly I would not have said I am a very political person but I have found myself speaking out about a variety of issues. And once you have children you become much more conscious of the long term impact of all our decisions, even the decision to keep quiet.”
Saying she would like to be known as an ambassador for the causes of the ACLU or the The American Civil Liberties Union, Padma Lakshmi talked about how she was devastated to learn of how tear gas was recently used in the presence of immigrant children at the US Mexico border at Tijuana. Padma’s views however were not shared by some on Twitter . In fact, a Twitter thread in response to NBC’s post on the same tear gassing incident highlights views that are in stark contrast to Padma Lakshmi’s own.