Heidi Klum Biography: Supermodel, Emmy-Winning Host, and Queen of Halloween

October 25, 2026

Daniel Reed

Heidi Klum is a German-American supermodel, television host, producer and businesswoman born on 1 June 1973 in Bergisch Gladbach, West Germany, who became the first German model to become a Victoria’s Secret Angel, won an Emmy hosting Project Runway, judged America’s Got Talent for more than a decade, and turned her annual Halloween party into a pop-culture institution.

Quick facts

Full name	Heidi Klum (now Heidi Kaulitz)
Born	1 June 1973, Bergisch Gladbach, West Germany
Nationality	German-American (US citizen since 2008)
Occupation	Model, television host, producer, businesswoman
Years active	1992–present
Known for	Victoria’s Secret Angel, Project Runway, Germany’s Next Topmodel, America’s Got Talent, Heidi Halloween
Spouse	Tom Kaulitz (married 2019)
Children	Four: Leni, Henry, Johan and Lou

Why Heidi Klum is in the news

Heidi Klum is teasing her 2026 Halloween costume — and, true to form, it looks gloriously gruesome. In an Instagram post on Saturday, 24 October 2026, she shared a close-up of colourful prosthetic pieces arranged in a texture fans compared to meat, brains or intestines, captioning it “What’s my costume? One week to go… #HeidiHalloween,” without showing her face or explaining how the pieces fit together, according to Parade. Fans guessed everything from Monstro Elisasue, the grotesque creation from the 2024 horror film The Substance, to the Clickers from The Last of Us and sea creatures such as coral or a sea urchin. The full reveal comes at her annual Halloween party on 31 October. Klum had already warned fans what to expect: in a September interview with Parade she offered a single clue — “It’s bloody” — and told Page Six it would be “very, very bloody.” Days earlier, at the InStyle Imagemaker Awards in Los Angeles in mid-October, she wore a deliberately tattered, stained lace corset gown from London label Dreaming Eli that Page Six described as looking like it had “survived a shipwreck.”

Early life and background

Klum was born in Bergisch Gladbach, North Rhine–Westphalia, then in West Germany, to Günther Klum, a cosmetics executive, and Erna Klum, a hairdresser, as Britannica records. As a teenager she considered fashion design, but at 19 she won Germany’s Model 92 contest in 1992, beating 25,000 entrants, and accepted a $300,000 contract with Metropolitan Models in New York. She moved to the United States and built a modelling career on the covers of Vogue, Elle and Glamour, among others.

Modelling career

Klum appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1998 and became the first German model to become a Victoria’s Secret Angel, a role she held for 13 years before ending her run in 2010, when Forbes noted she had become “more of a businesswoman than a model.” She walked some of the brand’s most famous shows and, alongside fellow Angel Adriana Lima, became one of the defining faces of the Victoria’s Secret era. She later fronted campaigns for brands including H&M and Dannon, became Barbie’s official ambassador for the doll’s 50th anniversary in 2009, and built her own fashion businesses, including Heidi Klum Intimates, a swimwear line, fragrances and a clothing collaboration with European retailer Lidl.

Television career

Klum’s second act proved even longer-lived than her runway career. She has hosted and judged Germany’s Next Topmodel since 2006, and hosted the US reality competition Project Runway from 2004 to 2017, returning for its 21st season in 2025. For Project Runway she earned an Emmy nomination in 2008 and won the 2013 Emmy for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program, shared with co-host Tim Gunn; she has six Emmy nominations in total. She joined NBC’s America’s Got Talent as a judge in 2013, served through 2018, took a one-season break, and returned from 2020 to 2024. She has also executive-produced and hosted the Amazon fashion competition Making the Cut (2020–2022).

Acting and other work

As an occasional actress, Klum had supporting roles in Blow Dry (2001) and Ella Enchanted (2004) and cameo appearances as herself in The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Perfect Stranger (2007) and Ocean’s 8 (2018), plus guest spots on Sex and the City, How I Met Your Mother, Desperate Housewives and Parks and Recreation. In December 2025 she co-hosted the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, alongside Kevin Hart.

Personal life

Klum was married to celebrity hairstylist Ric Pipino from 1997 to 2002, and to British singer Seal from 2005 until their divorce in 2014. She married Tokio Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz in 2019. She has four children: Leni, Henry, Johan and Lou. She became an American citizen in 2008 while retaining her German citizenship. Only publicly known facts about her family are included here; private details are not speculated on.

Heidi Klum’s Halloween legacy

Klum’s annual Halloween party, running since 2000 with a two-year pause in 2020 and 2021, is invitation-only and costumes are mandatory. Her own transformations — among them an elderly woman, a giant worm, a peacock, Fiona from Shrek, Jessica Rabbit and, in 2025, Medusa with robotic snakes, a look that took about 10 hours to create — are routinely the most discussed costumes of the season. She has said she enjoys transformations that make her nearly unrecognisable: “I loved when I made myself really old,” she told Parade. “That’s a lot of fun.”

Net worth snapshot

Heidi Klum’s net worth is estimated at $160 million as of 2026, based on Celebrity Net Worth’s widely repeated estimate; no Forbes, Bloomberg or Hurun static net-worth figure exists for her. Read the full breakdown, including her Forbes earnings history and reported property, in Heidi Klum’s net worth.

Frequently asked questions

When was Heidi Klum born?

Heidi Klum was born on 1 June 1973 in Bergisch Gladbach, West Germany. She turned 53 in June 2026.

How long was Heidi Klum a Victoria’s Secret Angel?

Heidi Klum was a Victoria’s Secret Angel for 13 years, ending her run in 2010. She was the first German model to become an Angel.

What TV shows does Heidi Klum host or judge?

Heidi Klum hosts Germany’s Next Topmodel (since 2006) and Project Runway (2004–2017, returning in 2025), and judged America’s Got Talent from 2013 to 2018 and again from 2020 to 2024. She won the 2013 Emmy for hosting Project Runway, shared with Tim Gunn.

When is Heidi Klum’s Halloween party?

Heidi Klum’s annual Halloween party takes place on 31 October. Her 2026 costume was teased on 24 October 2026 with a prosthetic close-up on Instagram, and she has promised a “very, very bloody” look.

Who is Heidi Klum married to?

Heidi Klum has been married to Tokio Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz since 2019. She was previously married to Seal (2005–2014) and Ric Pipino (1997–2002), and has four children.