No Invite, No Thank You: Tim Gunn Speaks Candidly About ‘Project Runway’ Departure

When Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum announced their departure from “Project Runway” in 2018, fans were shocked. Klum had hosted since the show’s 2004 debut, with Gunn serving as the contestants’ mentor and co-host. Their joint exit came just as the series was set to return from Lifetime to its original network, Bravo.

The pair chose to forge a new trail at Amazon Studios, co-creating a next-generation fashion competition called “Making the Cut,” which launched in 2020. Ultimately, the streaming platform’s deep pockets and global reach gave Klum and Gunn creative freedom they craved. “When you do a show, someone always has to pay for it, and other people want you to do certain things, so you can’t have the creative freedom,” Klum said via Refinery 29.

Fast-forward to 2025, and “Project Runway” is back for Season 21. The revamped reality competition to set to premiere on Disney’s platforms — Freeform, Hulu, and Disney+ — after years off the air. And while the franchise is leaning into nostalgia by welcoming back Klum, Gunn has not been invited to join the cast.

Tim Gunn was not asked to return to “Project Runway.”

Klum calls her return to “Project Runway” like coming “home” – alongside familiar faces like judge Nina García. The show also injects new energy, with celebrity stylist Law Roach joining the judging panel. One of Runway’s most successful alums, designer Christian Siriano, continues in the mentor role, effectively filling the shoes Gunn once wore.

Many assumed Gunn must have opted to stick with his Amazon series or simply passed on returning. The reality, however, is more dramatic. Tim Gunn revealed in a recent interview that he wanted to return, but no one asked him. Gunn told People magazine that the new producers explicitly decided not to include him in Season 21, leaving him feeling “initially devastated, then kind of humiliated.”

“I stopped the boo-hooing. I thought it’s really throwing hubris in the face of an angry God to mourn not being on this new show,” Gunn said. “So I’ve come to terms with it. Am I disappointed? Sure. And most of all, it’s about not working with Heidi, but we move on, and things happen for a reason. I don’t know what the reason is yet, but it will be revealed.”

“Project Runway” offered Tim Gunn a smaller role.

Gunn’s co-hosting duties have been given to Siriano, who took over after Gunn’s initial exit. Instead, Gunn was offered a much smaller cameo in Season 21 of “Project Runway.” Gunn felt the offer was a slap in the face and ultimately turned it down.

Gunn continued: “What do I do, wave from a bus? As the designers are going into Mood [Fabrics] Heidi comes to see me at the retirement home and we play croquet? So, no, thank you. And as Heidi would say, you’re either in or you’re out. And I’m out. So I wasn’t asked to join.”

Klum, for her part, was not happy with the producers’ decision to cut her long-time collaborator. “She was really upset and she kept saying, ‘I’m fighting for you, I’m fighting for you,’” Gunn said of the model’s behind-the-scenes advocacy.

Do you think “Project Runway” made the right call by leaving Tim Gunn out of Season 21? Comment below!

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