When it comes to billboards in Los Angeles, it seems Heidi Klum’s catchphrase applies: you’re either in, or you’re out.
The billboard for “Project Runway’s” 12th season, in this case, is very much out in the city of Los Angeles.
Lifetime confirmed to Variety that the season 12 art — complete with nude models worshiping a costumed Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn — will not be on display in the Los Angeles area due to nudity. While details regarding the situation are still emerging, according to the city of Los Angeles’ Department of Building and Safety, signs containing “obscene matters” can be prohibited by the city. It was not immediately clear whether a city org formally rejected Lifetime’s efforts to erect billboards with the racy image, or whether the cabler ran into roadblocks with private sellers of outdoor advertising space.
While the key art for the fashion design competition series certainly raises eyebrows at first glance, anyone cruising Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood with some regularity has probably seen an equally risque billboard from a fashion brand in the past. Either way, the controversy could help drum up additional promotion — and potentially ratings — for the series, which returns to Lifetime on July 18.
