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She was blamed for his suicide.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Sep 28, 2022
In a new book centering on Anthony Bourdain's life, his final texts to his then-girlfriend, Asia Argento, reveal details about their relationship and speculation that she cheated on him.
In an unauthorized biography titled “Down and Out in Paradise: The Life of Anthony Bourdain,” journalist Charles Leerhsen included text messages sent by the late celebrity chef, including messages sent to Argento.
Before Bourdain's death by suicide in 2018, he and Argento had been together for two years, and as Leerhsen notes in the book, according to The New York Times, the two often had fits of jealousy directed toward each other.
Did Asia Argento cheat on Anthony Bourdain?
The newly released texts suggest Bourdain suspected Argento of cheating, an accusation she has diminished.
Less than a week before his death, Bourdain saw photos of Argento, 47, dancing with French reporter Hugo Clément in a Roman Restaurant Argento and Bourdain would often go to together.
Bourdain was reportedly "incensed" over the photos and searched Argento's name online "hundreds of times," often causing them to argue over the phone and through text messages.
“I am okay. I am not spiteful. I am not jealous that you have been with another man. I do not own you. You are free. As I said. As I promised. As I truly meant,” Bourdain allegedly texted Argento a day before his death.
“But you were careless. You were reckless with my heart. My life," he continued, noting in the same conversation that he was upset Argento's rendezvous took place at the same place in Rome they both loved going to together.
Asia Argento spoke about the cheating allegations after Anthony Bourdain's death.
A few months after Bourdain's death, Argento spoke candidly about her relationship with him to DailyMailTV.
The Italian actress sparked major backlash from Bourdain fans following the leaked photos of her and Hugo Clément, accusing her of causing Bourdain to commit suicide due to the cheating rumors.
"People say I murdered him. They say I killed him," she said through tears in the interview.
"People need to think that he killed himself for something like this? He had cheated on me too. It wasn't a problem for us. He was a man who traveled 265 days a year. We took great pleasure in each other's company when we saw each other. But we are not children. We are grown-ups."
She continued, alluding to the fact that they were involved in an open relationship.
"Anthony was 62, I was 42. We had lived, we had wives and husbands, we had children. I cannot think of Anthony as somebody who would make a radical gesture like this for something like that."
Following the photos of Argento and Clément, she and Bourdain subsequently broke up due to the late chef's "possessiveness."
The next day, after Bourdain reportedly texted Argento once more, writing, “Is there anything I can do?” he reportedly asked, to which Argento replied, “Stop busting my balls.”
Bourdain, according to the book, simply wrote back, “OK” and then hung himself.
While talking to DailyMailTV, Argento shared that she "was angry at [Bourdain]" following his death.
"I was angry, yes, for abandoning me, my kids. But now it's been replaced just by this loss, this hole, that cannot be filled by anything."
For Argento, "the anger kept me alive because otherwise, the desperation has no end."
Argento and Bourdain began dating in 2016 after meeting on his CNN show "Parts Unknown."
The New York Times says they reached out to Bourdain's ex-girlfriend for comment, but she told the publication that she had not read the unauthorized biography.
"I wrote clearly to [Charles Leerhsen] that he could not publish anything I said to him.”
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.