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Tom Colicchio Responds to Claims Anthony Bourdain Is Being Exploited: "Tony Wanted His Work Seen"
Bravo's Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio tweeted his own thoughts on the backlash.
Shortly after Anthony Bourdain's death by suicide, Tom Colicchio mourned the loss with this: "The best was yet to come, and now those stories aren't going to be told."
The Bravo's Top Chef head judge meant that sentiment rather literally — but it turns out he was only half right.
Bourdain's best indeed might have been yet to come, but since his suicide in June, he's still channeled many stories and messages to the living world — sometimes "uncanny" and even prophetic, sometimes triumphant... and sometimes lamented as exploitative by fans, who feel this is neither the best of Bourdain's work, nor in line with his intentions.
W. Kamau Bell — Bourdain's guest in Kenya as part of the final season of Parts Unknown airing now — tweeted some thoughts as part of a larger conversation among fans that Bourdain's work is being used improperly without permission.
He wrote, "I'm hearing from people who think all the promotion of the last season of #PartsUnknown is exploitative. But all I'm trying to do is honor someone who was a huge influence in my life before I ever met him."
Colicchio, for his part, completely agrees. He retweeted Bell, and added his own firm opinion: "Tony wanted his work seen. His suicide didn't change that."
