This episode contains references to sexual assault.

I try to make an effort to pronounce people's names correctly.

Seems like a small thing to ask.

And so it's my understanding and I'm sure I'm still not going to say it correctly.

So I apologize.

But the more correct way to pronounce your name would be Padma Lakshmi.

That's correct.

You did a great job.

And so before the last time I was going to interview you five years ago, I was like doing

a focus group with my non-South Asian friends and being like, hey, I'm really excited.

I'm going to interview Padma Lakshmi.

And they said, who?

And I said Padma Lakshmi.

And they said, oh, we love her.

Yeah, that, you know, everything gets flattened.

But you know, I've noticed that even Indian people will pronounce my name as Padma or Padma

versus Padma just so they can be understood by, you know, whoever is listening to them

say my name.

So it doesn't surprise me that that happened to you.

But is this something that you've given thought to?

I've gone through all kinds of feelings about my own name, including changing it when

I was in high school because, you know, I just wanted to be like everyone else.

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