Top Chef Star Padma Lakshmi Bullied by Boston Teamsters
When Padma Lakshmi, host of Top Chef, left the show’s usual set in Los Angeles to film on location in Boston, she and her staff were harassed, threatened, and had their property damaged by Boston Teamsters Local 25 because the show hired non-union local production assistants to drive the cast and crew instead of using Teamsters. When Lakshmi arrived, Teamsters, who were already picketing the show, started screaming: “You b*tch! You slut! We’re gonna bash that pretty face in, you [expletive] whore!”
According to the police report, the Teamsters were “hostile, swearing, and refusing to let people come in and out” of the building. When police arrived to defuse the situation, the Teamsters relocated to the crew’s hospitality tent and slashed tires on 14 cars affiliated with the show. Teamsters then chased the production assistants down the road threatening to beat and kill them. These antics lasted for several weeks until the show wrapped.