“Top Chef” Host Padma Lakshmi’s Ex Sues For Custody Of Baby, Says She’s Portraying Another Man As Dad

“Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi is steeped in a custody fight, and the ingredients are plenty complex.

Venture capitalist Adam Dell says in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in New York that a paternity test has shown he’s the father of Lakshmi’s 11-month-old daughter, Krishna. But he says Lakshmi is trying to cast her boyfriend, financier Ted Forstmann, in that role.

A spokeswoman says Lakshmi wants to protect Krishna’s privacy and work out “a fair and amicable agreement.” Forstmann declined to comment through his office.

Dell wants custody and a change of the infant’s last name from Lakshmi to Dell.

Krishna was born Feb. 20. Dell’s lawsuit says Lakshmi has tried to minimize his role in the girl’s life and has encouraged her daughter to call Forstmann “Papa.”