One day you’re in, the next you’re out, and fans who don’t tune into “Project Runway” Season 21 might just find themselves in the latter. Not to worry, we’ve got your back.
The Emmy-winning fashion competition series finally returns tonight, July 31. The show is bringing some major changes, including a new network, a two-episode premiere and the return of Heidi Klum as host.
Since its debut in 2004, “Project Runway” has bopped across networks, beginning first with Bravo from 2004 to 2008 and again from 2019 to 2023. The show spent nearly a decade on Lifetime from 2009 to 2017. Now for Season 21, the series has found a new home: Freeform.
Read on for everything you need to know about “Project Runway” Season 21, including how to watch.
Where to Watch ‘Project Runway’ Season 21
New episodes of “Project Runway” will air on Freeform and will then be available to stream the next day on two platforms.
Live broadcast: Freeform
- Premiere time: 9:00 p.m. ET (two episodes)
- Weekly air time after premiere: Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. ET
Streaming platforms:
Who’s Back For Season 21?
This season of “Project Runway” is delivering more than just a return of the series after a nearly two-year hiatus. It also marks the show’s reunion with Heidi Klum, who is reclaiming her crown as host and judge. Klum had been the face of the show since Season 1, but she exited the series after Season 16 in 2017.
Joining her on the judging panel are Elle editor-in-chief and original “Project Runway” judge Nina Garcia and celebrity stylist Law Roach. Season 4 winner Christian Siriano will round out the team and return as a mentor to the competing designers.
Is Tim Gunn on ‘Project Runway’ Season 21?
As the designers move into their new space, fans of the series will notice a Tim Gunn-sized absence in the workrooms.
Speaking to People in February 2025, Gunn, who appeared on the series for nearly two decades as a mentor, recalled learning he wasn’t asked to participate in the new season after Klum sent him a text.
He said Klum initially informed him that she heard rumors about “Project Runway” bringing them back and wanted to know if he was interested. Gunn also left the show following Season 16.
“And I said, ‘Would I do it? Of course, there’s not a moment of hesitation in me,” he told People.
“So Heidi and I were texting and texting, and several months later, she sent me a text asking, ‘Are you happy with your contract?’ I’m a truth-teller. I don’t even mince words. I said, ‘Well, I haven’t seen a contract,’” he explained. “And she said, ‘You haven’t?’ No.”
Gunn shared that he later received confirmation from his agent that the executive producers had no plans to bring him back. Eventually, when they offered to have him make a cameo appearance, he declined.
“However, several weeks after that conversation, they went back to (my agent) and said, ‘Well, we’ve thought about it and we’d be willing to offer Tim a small cameo in one episode.’ 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,” he continued. “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.”
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