Project Runway contestant calls out Karlie Kloss' connection to Kushner family

Sydney Bucksbaum
Project Runway contestant calls out Karlie Kloss' connection to Kushner family

Things got tense on this week’s Project Runway when a contestant called out Karlie Kloss‘ connection to the Kushner family.

First, some background: Kloss is married to Joshua Kushner, the brother of presidential aide and Ivanka Trump‘s husband Jared Kushner. Contestant Tyler Neasloney was competing on this season of Project Runway — which Kloss hosts — when his design on Thursday’s episode, one of the lowest-scored of the night, landed him in the bottom. Kloss’ stylist and guest mentor Karla Welch had challenged all the contestants to dress Kloss for a CFDA event in Paris using only recycled, donated clothing from a Goodwill store. When Neasloney defended his look to the judges, he explained that he made it from four pairs of pants.

Bravo
Bravo

“I was going for a very traditional Montauk, Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod, Americana vibe,” he said. “I’m happy with it. I don’t know if you love it or hate it. Whatever it is, lay it on me. I’m ready.”

Judge Brandon Maxwell was not a fan of the look. “Bring us back to the challenge: A) Super cool. B) Wearable. C) Chic,” Maxwell said. “You got B. Wearable. It’s definitely ‘wearable’ in some place that is neither Paris nor Montauk or Martha’s Vineyard. I cannot see Karlie wearing it anywhere, honestly.”

“Not even to dinner with the Kushners?” Neasloney interjected.

After a brief moment of awkward silence — from the judges and the other contestants — Kloss’ jaw dropped (with a hint of a smile) followed by a look of shock and disbelief (and maybe a little side-eye). One of his fellow contestants watching from the other room groaned and said, “Oh no, Tyler, don’t say that out loud.”

And Neasloney followed it up with, “That’s your husband!”

Check out a video clip of the moment below:

Kloss didn’t really acknowledge his dig about her in-laws, but she did give him some harsh criticisms. “I was going to Paris, that was your challenge here. Keep it to the challenge,” she said. “You really missed the mark here on all accounts.”

Neasloney was then eliminated from the competition, but before he left he apologized to Kloss for his comment about the Kushners. “Karlie, I want you to know that I’m not a jerk, I’m professional,” Neasloney said. “What I said earlier had no hidden agenda, no meaning, no nothing like that.”

Back in 2018, it was announced that Project Runway, currently in its 18th season, was moving from Lifetime back to its original network, Bravo. And after Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn announced they were leaving the series to launch their own Amazon Studios project, Kloss and Runway season 4 winner Christian Siriano took over as hosts.

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