How Will Padma Cope With Single Mom-Dom?
People magazine's "inside story" about Padma Lakshmi's pregnancy doesn't address the big question, namely who it is who impregnated the Top Chef hostess and ex-wife of author Salman Rushdie. (The fact that she got pregnant even though she suffers from endometriosis isn't all that uncommon, as the doctors quoted in the article point out.) In fact, People doesn't even speculate as to who the dad is, except to say that it is not her cousin. (Gee, thanks, People!) Nor does it make any mention of the man she's been dating the past year or two—and who we strongly suspect is Padma's baby daddy—elderly billionaire Teddy Forstmann. Which is especially weird considering even Forbes is comfortable mentioning their relationship (and Forbes isn't usually in the habit of being more gossipy than People.) But then the magazine gets even more ridiculous and examines how Padma is going to survive as a single mom. Raising kids isn't cheap, you know!
Per People:
Raised chiefly by her mother Vijaya in India and New York City, Lakshmi has a strong example of a single mother should she be facing motherhood on her own."If she happens to be a single mother," says Mendelsohn, the chef and owner of Washington, D.C.'s Good Stuff Eatery.
"She is definitely one of the women capable of doing that without a problem," he says. "She's well traveled, she's seen the world, she's embraced different cultures, and she's really into food and cooking. She's going to nurture her child in those ways."
Fellow contestant Nikki Cascone adds, "I'm sure that baby will be well fed, and well loved!"
Let's hope so! When a man worth $1.1 billion knocks you up, a generous supply of Gerber baby food should really be a given.
INSIDE STORY: Padma Lakshmi's 'Miracle Pregnancy' [People]
Theodore Forstmann - #347 [Forbes]
Previously: Padma Is Pregnant; Baby Daddy Remains a Mystery [Cityfile]