Anthony Bourdain On 'Letterman': 'I'm Milking This Celebrity Chef Thing For Everything I Can' (VIDEO)

Last night, Anthony Bourdain appeared on the Late Show With David Letterman and, like always, he wasn't afraid to speak his mind and be a bit self-deprecating. Letterman asked Bourdain about The Layover, his new show premiering November 21. Bourdain joked, "I'm milking this celebrity chef thing for everything I can get out of it."

When Lettermen inquired if some of the profits of his shows go toward the World Food Program or other charities, Bourdain was quick to respond, "I spent all the money on crack cocaine and shiny new cars."

Bourdain also reminisced about when he used to work in kitchens. "No matter how low things were in my life, how desperate, how unlovely my personal habits at the time," he said, "I knew I could always get a brunch gig...The smell of failure was French toast."

Watch the highlights of Bourdain's interview below:

Comments

[playsindirt]

09:09 AM on 11/10/2011

Wicked smart and funny. Love me some Tony B.

[Woodsie]

06:14 AM on 11/09/2011

love this guy!

[cameron d]

10:40 PM on 11/08/2011

To paraphrase the old Clash slogan: the only Celebrity Chef that matters!

[Del Martinis]

06:02 PM on 11/08/2011

A real chef who is raw and not liked by everyone! But that's reality in a good way!

[salamanca1]

07:05 PM on 11/08/2011

Tony is a hilarious writer. "Kitchen Confidential" and "A Cook's Tour," are my favorites.

[blurredmolly]

07:43 PM on 11/08/2011

any guy that worships The Ramone's and can make a great Béarnaise sauce is OK with me. I am a huge fan.

[jayquintana]

05:53 PM on 11/08/2011

Saw the entire interview, I thought it was disingenuous for Dave to basically give Bourdain a guilt trip for making food TV so important while people are starving in the world.

If Dave's so concerned about this issue, why isn't he donated huge portions of his salary to food banks?

[xstevejx]

11:03 PM on 11/08/2011

How do you know he doesn't give generously to charity? But yeah, Dave gets a little 'over-concerned' about some issues. He did the same thing to Rachel Ray a while back and he apologized for it.

[haval2]

04:24 PM on 11/08/2011

Love Anthony. as real as they get. Jersey Boy!

[Lunch Lady]

01:15 PM on 11/08/2011

His shows only improved over time, the last season's were the best of the lot, I'm looking forward to his new show.

[Food Review 101]

12:37 PM on 11/08/2011

http://www.foodreview101.com/ I'm not sure you want to say that in public...

[BlueZoo]

11:52 AM on 11/08/2011

This is exactly why I go out of my way to watch Bourdain and I avoid all the other chefs who, quite frankly, are just insufferable. Bourdain has no inflated opinion of himself and that's really refreshing these days!

[GeorgiaVeteran]

11:30 AM on 11/08/2011

I enjoy him....not pretentious at all. Speaks the language of his fans.

[clearthinker16]

10:49 AM on 11/08/2011

hey if I could get a gig like that why not