Padma Lakshmi Breaks Silence After Ex-Husband Salman Rushdie Taken Off Ventilator: ‘Relieved’
The ‘Top Chef’ host shared her hopes that her ex-husband would have a ‘swift’ recovery after he was stabbed in the neck at a lecture.
Padma Lakshmi finally spoke out after her ex-husband Salman Rushdie was stabbed in the neck, while giving a lecture last week. The Taste The Nation host took to Twitter to share her feelings after it was reported that Salman was taken off a ventilator on Sunday, August 14. Padma, 51, shared her hopes that Salman, 75, makes a speedy recovery.
Relieved @SalmanRushdie is pulling through after Friday’s nightmare. Worried and wordless, can finally exhale. Now hoping for swift healing.
— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) August 14, 2022
Padma explained just how shook up she felt after news that The Satanic Verses author was stabbed at the Chautauqua Institution. “Relieved Salman Rushdie is pulling through after Friday’s nightmare. Worried and Wordless, can finally exhale. Now hoping for swift healing,” she wrote in a tweet, which she also shared on her Instagram Story. Salman and Padma were married from 2004 to 2007. A few days after Salman’s stabbing was reported, Padma was seen out and about in New York City with her puppy.
On Sunday, Salman’s son Zafar shared a statement updating fans on his father’s condition, explaining that he was doing better, despite being in “critical condition” and continuing to undergo treatment. “We are extremely relieved that yesterday he was taken off the ventilator and additional oxygen and he was able to say a few words. Though his life-changing injuries are severe, his usual feisty & defiant sense of humor remains intact.” he said. “We are so grateful to all the audience members who bravely leapt to his defense and administered first aid along with the police and doctors who have cared for him and for the outpouring of love and support from around the world.”
Salman’s attacker was Hadi Matar, 24. He was arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder and assault with a weapon, per The New York Times. He pleaded not guilty, and he’s expected to appear in court again on August 19. He’s being held without bail. Prosecutors said that the attack was premeditated.
Since the attack, Iran, which had previously issued a fatwa against Salman due to his book The Satanic Verses, has denied any involvement with the attacker, via CNN. A spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry commented on the attack in a press conference on Monday, and placed the blame on Salman for the attack. “Regarding the attack on Salman Rushdie, we do not consider anyone other than [Rushdie] and his supporters worth of blame and even condemnation,” he said.