‘Hurtful and defamatory’: why Anthony Bourdain biography Down and Out in Paradise is making waves with those who knew him best

Down and Out in Paradise by Charles Leerhsen relies on many confidential sources, and quotes people who would not confirm they spoke to him on the record

Leerhsen goes into if messages from Bourdain’s girlfriend triggered the chef’s suicide, and examines his drug use from childhood to throughout his career

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A new biography about the late chef and TV personality Anthony Bourdain has been causing controversy. Photo: HBO GO

Published: 4:15pm, 16 Oct 2022

A new biography about the late chef and television personality Anthony Bourdain, who took his own life while filming CNN’s travel and food show Parts Unknown in 2018, was raising hackles well in advance of its October 11 publication date among those who knew Bourdain best.

Bourdain’s brother, Christopher, has called the book “hurtful and defamatory fiction”. However, author Charles Leerhsen has since said that other Bourdain family and friends with advance copies “have confirmed that my take on the Bourdain family dynamic is accurate”.

But first, a word of warning: Leerhsen relies on many confidential sources, and quotes some people, including Bourdain’s girlfriend, Asia Argento, and separated wife, Ottavia Busia-Bourdain, who would not confirm they spoke to him on the record. It also seeks concrete explanations for suicide.

Here is why Down and Out in Paradise is making waves.

1. Blame for Bourdain’s suicide

Leerhsen suggests that messages from Argento, Bourdain’s girlfriend at the time of his death, triggered his decision to kill himself.

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