Padma Lakshmi says the gay part out loud in new video with Melissa King
If this isn't a hard launch, we don't know what is
Mark
Last week, Top Chef icon Padma Lakshmi gagged the gays with the (potential) hard launch of her (potential) new relationship with fellow celebrity chef Melissa King. When the two stepped out on the town—and more importantly, on Instagram—in an Addams family couples’ costume, sapphics instantly knew what was up.
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But we still haven’t gotten a firm confirmation of the relationship—until now? Maybe? In a joint video posted yesterday, Lakshmi and King get adorably flirty (and super gay) as Lakshmi teaches King how to make the perfect potato podimas recipe for stuffing dosas or accompanying a Thanksgiving spread.
How about we take this to the next level?
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The classic South Indian potato dish is deliciously spiced, vegan-friendly, and available in Laksmi’s new cookbook, “All American.” But it’s not the main thing viewers were tuning into in the video for.
“Your nails are so gay right now,” King says, pointing to Lakshmi’s upraised hand, which reveals two short nails in a very sapphic formation. Lakshmi laughs and says jokingly, “stop starting rumors.” Too late, because we’re obsessed with whatever this relationship is!
For those unaware—or for those who think we’re making a big deal out of a random fingernail choice—there’s a long queer history behind the choice to keep two nails short on one hand.
After an Autostraddle poll in 2019 found that 95% of lesbians keep short fingernails—for both visibility and other, spicier reasons—one writer for Fashion Magazine noted: “there’s even a so-called “lesbian manicure” that accommodates for long nails except for the index and middle fingers.”
This manicure keeps the index and middle fingers short—for spicy time—while allowing other nails to be of a longer length. Even without counting nail length into the equation, in the past, femme lesbians who didn’t have obvious ways to signal their identities would femme flag by painting the index and middle fingernails a different color than the rest as a way of showing others they were, you know, with the girls.
So yes, we know why Padma and Melissa are giggling, and we love to see it.
Commenters, too, are loving the potential couple’s sweet, flirty dynamic.
“Rumors have already beeeeen spreading!” One commenter said, with another chiming in to say “they aren’t rumors anymore.”
“And the Cherry Bomb shirt,” another sapphic commenter noticed, calling out Lakshmi’s shirt choice which may or may not be gesturing to the WeHo sapphic space of the same name. Basically, we’re loving this plot twist for King and Lakshmi, who have been close friends for years. The rainbow emojis in the chat are flying, and sapphics are living for it.
Oh, and did we mention the food also looks incredible? Absolutely no surprise there: Lakshmi and King know what they’re doing when it comes to making mouth-watering plates, be it King’s signature Hong Kong milk tea-inspired tiramisu or Lakshmi’s poached fish in coconut milk and ginger.
What dishes do you recognize?? My new cookbook, “Padma’s All American” is now available for pre-order, and I cannot wait for you to try these recipes
The cookbook chronicles my time on the road during Taste the Nation, adapting each dish so you can experience the breadth of flavors from across the country in the comfort of your own kitchen. While these are global flavors, they have all been brought here by the immigrants who have built this country and made it what it is today. Taste the Nation started out as a book idea seven years ago and then turned into the show that we all know and love. While the show won’t be returning, I am excited to finally share this book with all of you, so that you can have a little bit of Taste the Nation in your homes forever. I want to thank our loyal viewers for all the love you’ve shown us over the years. Creating Taste the Nation has been the joy of my professional life. And all of that joy is in this book. ♬ original sound – Padma Lakshmi
The spices are crackling, the banter is bantering, the potatoes are potatoe-ing—this is exactly the level of Thanksgiving lead-up content the people demand to see on TikTok for the next month. Salty, spicy, and gay as all get out.
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