Aside from the occasional Instagram post, Karlie Kloss keeps her marriage to Joshua Kushner out of the spotlight. Like most celebrities, the decision stems from an attempt to keep her personal life private. And then there's the fact that Joshua is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, who is himself married to Ivanka Trump. Kloss is an outspoken feminist and Joshua is a known progressive, voicing his support of March For Our Lives in an Instagram post in 2018, but the couple's proximity to Donald Trump's family is an uncomfortable, often unspoken fact — until now.
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A clip from Thursday night's episode of Project Runway went viral on Twitter after contestant Tyler Neasloney called out Kloss, who sits as a judge on the Bravo show, for her relationship with the Kushners.
In his criticism of Neasloney's latest design, judge Brandon Maxwell said, "I cannot see Karlie wearing it anywhere, honestly."
“Not even to dinner with the Kushners?” Neasloney shot back, prompting a palpable wave of tension. Kloss's mouth dropped and the rest of the cast gasped.
"Oh no Tyler don't say that out loud," one contestant said.
"Holy shit," another cried.
“I cannot see Karlie wearing it anywhere, honestly.”
— Ξvan Ross Katz (@evanrosskatz) January 3, 2020
“Not even to dinner with the Kushners?”#ProjectRunway pic.twitter.com/O9qJbrC2ZN
While Neasloney did not immediately respond to Refinery29's request for comment, he did appear to stand by his dig in an Instagram DM to writer Evan Ross Katz, who posted the viral clip. He responded to Katz's Instagram Story with the cry-laughing emoji and the kiss emoji, as well as a GIF of Real Housewives star Nene Leakes saying "I said what I said."
S C R E A M pic.twitter.com/VKMYnorfuy
— Ξvan Ross Katz (@evanrosskatz) January 3, 2020
Neasloney was eliminated during that same episode, though not necessarily because of his Kushner call-out. However, the viral moment has people flocking to his Instagram comments with support.
"I definitely think it was a personal issue the judges had for kicking you out, you are a great designer and your garment did not deserve to get you sent home," one fan wrote on a post. "Sorry the judges were unprofessional, I can’t wait to see how far you go!"
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"I STAN YOU FOREVER," another wrote.
And of course, there are memes:
"not even to dinner with the kushners?" pic.twitter.com/4z5JGSzXAX
— gabe bergado (@gabebergado) January 3, 2020
“Not even to dinner with the Kushners?” pic.twitter.com/9K2FuHmJV9
— Curtis Kimberlin Jr (@ckimberlinjr) January 3, 2020
Not. Even. To. Dinner. With. The. Kushners. pic.twitter.com/IFbyxhs3xd
— Emily V Gordon (@emilyvgordon) January 3, 2020
Despite all this, Kloss wished Neasloney well on Twitter following his departure.
"Thank you Tyler for your contributions to the runway!" she tweeted. "Wishing you all the best as you continue your fashion journey #ProjectRunway."
Thank you Tyler for your contributions to the runway! Wishing you all the best as you continue your fashion journey #ProjectRunway
— Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) January 3, 2020
A rep for Kloss did not respond to Refinery29's request for further comment.