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Tim Gunn

Tim Gunn
Gunn attending the 81st Academy Awards, 2009
Born
Timothy MacKenzie Gunn

(1953-07-29) July 29, 1953 (age 72)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education
Occupations
  • Author
  • actor
  • fashion consultant
  • television personality
Years active1982–present

Timothy MacKenzie Gunn (born July 29, 1953) is an American author, academic, and television personality. He served on the faculty of Parsons School of Design in Greenwich Village, New York from 1982 to 2007 and was chair of fashion design at the school from August 2000 to March 2007, after which he joined Liz Claiborne (now Kate Spade & Company) as its chief creative officer. Over 16 seasons, Gunn became well known as the on-air mentor to designers on the reality television program Project Runway. Gunn's popularity on Project Runway led to two spin-off shows; Bravo's Tim Gunn's Guide to Style and Lifetime's Under the Gunn, and he wrote five books. In addition to being an executive producer, Gunn has been a mentor for teen designers on Project Runway: Junior. He also provides the voice of Baileywick, the castle steward in the Disney Jr. television show Sofia the First and narrated the sitcom Mixology.

Early life

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Gunn was born in Washington, D.C.[1] His father worked in the FBI where he started as an agent but transitioned into becoming a ghostwriter and speechwriter for J. Edgar Hoover.[2] He attended Corcoran College of Art and Design at George Washington University in Washington D.C. receiving a BFA degree in sculpture.[3]

Gunn, who had identified as gay,[3] was raised in an intensely homophobic household where homosexuals were viewed as predators.[3] According to a video Gunn made for the It Gets Better Project, he attempted suicide at the age of 17 by swallowing over 100 pills.[4][5] He denied his sexual orientation until his early 20s, and did not share it with his family until he came out to his sister when he was 29.[3]

Career

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After serving as director of admissions for Corcoran, Gunn started working at Parsons in 1982, served as associate dean from 1989 to 2000, and then became the Fashion Design Department chair in August 2000. He was credited with "retooling and invigorating the curriculum for the 21st century."[6][7]

Gunn began appearing on Project Runway during its first season in 2004, and is known for his catchphrase, "Make it work." He received a Primetime Emmy Award in 2013 for Outstanding Host for a Reality Or Reality-Competition Program.[8] Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, a reality show in which Gunn gives fashion advice, debuted in September 2007 on the Bravo television network. The show ran for 16 episodes over two seasons. Beginning in January 2014, he was the host on a 13–episode season of Lifetime's Under the Gunn. He is an executive producer for Project Runway: Junior. He is the teen designers' mentor.

Gunn played a version of himself as a reporter for the fictional Fashion TV in two episodes of ABC's Ugly Betty in February 2007[9] and later guest starred on Drop Dead Diva in August 2009 as himself. He left Parsons in 2007 joining Liz Claiborne, Inc. as the company's chief creative officer in March of that year.[10]

In April 2007, Abrams Image Publishers released Gunn's book A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style, co-written with Kate Moloney, cover photo by Markus Klinko & Indrani. While on tour in Palm Springs, California, the nearby city of Palm Desert honored Gunn with an official resolution declaring April 27, 2007 (the day of his visit) Timothy M. Gunn Day. He was presented with a certificate by the city of Palm Springs and a plaque by the nearby city of Rancho Mirage in recognition of his career achievements.[11] From 2010 to 2015 he had four additional books (listed below) published.

In May 2009, Gunn served as the commencement speaker at the Corcoran College of Art and Design, and received an honorary doctorate from the institution.[12] He made sporadic appearances on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson's "Dear Aquaman" segments, helping or standing in for Aquaman (Ferguson), answering letters and dispensing advice.[13] Gunn guest starred as Barney's personal tailor on several episodes of How I Met Your Mother.[14] He guest starred as himself on the 6th episode of CW's fourth season of Gossip Girl, "Easy J".[15]

On September 7, 2018, it was confirmed that Gunn, along with Heidi Klum would not be returning to Project Runway for a 17th season on Bravo as they both signed a deal to host a fashion competition show on Amazon Video titled Making the Cut.[16] Making the Cut released its third season in the summer of 2022.

In other media

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In August 2007, "Tim Gunn's Podcast (a reality chamber opera)" by Jeffrey Lependorf premiered at the Cornelia Street Cafe in Manhattan, New York.[17] It received its first run one year later at the New York International Fringe Festival. Gunn appeared in a backup story in the first issue of Models Inc., a fashion-themed comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics which debuted in September 2009 to coincide with New York City's style showcase. He is featured on a variant cover of the issue illustrated by Phil Jimenez. In the series, which is written by Project Runway fan Mark Sumerak and illustrated by Jimenez, Gunn dons Iron Man armor to foil an attack against the New York Fashion Museum.[18] Gunn appeared in the opening skit on the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards as a stylist making Jimmy Fallon look like Bruce Springsteen, from his Born in the U.S.A. album.

In 2014, he participated in Do I Sound Gay?, a documentary film by David Thorpe about stereotypes of gay men's speech patterns.[19] Tim Gunn appears in Kate McKinnon's audio drama Heads Will Roll. He was on the Living Not So Fabulously podcast and talked about his career including how he met his agent 18 years ago. "Well, I was a career educator... 29 years in the classroom... where the Project Runway producers found me (many people had told the producers they should "talk to Tim." Gunn had been unpaid for two seasons of the Bravo show, Sweden could not believe Gunn was not being paid anything and only had a book deal in the works. Miramax owned the program. Gunn went on to say that last semester he taught at Emerson College. Again he was unpaid and on top of that he paid for his own travel and expenses. He said, "I always say life is a big collaboration. We are not solos. We need other people."[20]

Personal life

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Tori Spelling and Gunn co-presenting at an event in November 2007.

Gunn lives in Manhattan. In a 2010 interview with People he said, "For a long time, I didn't know what I was. I knew what I wasn't: I wasn't interested in boys, and I really wasn't interested in girls." He mentioned he has "always been kind of asexual."[21] Gunn spoke about his celibacy in 2012. He later said that he is unashamed of this fact saying, "Do I feel like less of a person for it? No... I'm a perfectly happy and fulfilled individual." He said he began his self-imposed celibacy as AIDS began ravaging the gay community, and that he and many other people simply retreated.[22]

Gunn is an outspoken critic of clothing designs using animal fur. In 2008, he narrated a video about rabbit fur farming in China for animal rights group PETA. He said that the treatment of animals used for fur is "egregiously irresponsible".[23] Gunn endorsed Christine Quinn for mayor of New York City in the 2013 mayoral election.[24]

Awards and honors

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In June 2020, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade, Queerty named Gunn among the fifty heroes "leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people".[25][26]

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2004–2017 Project Runway Himself (Mentor)
2007 Drinks with LX Himself
2007 Ugly Betty Fashion TV Reporter 2 episodes
2007–2008 Tim Gunn's Guide to Style Himself
2008 American Dad! Himself Voice, episode: "Escape from Pearl Bailey"
2008 The Replacements Himself Voice, episode: "Heartbreak in the City"
2009 Drop Dead Diva Himself Episode: "Second Chances"
2009 Project Runway: All Star Challenge Himself Television special
2009–2016 The Biggest Loser Himself
2010–2014 How I Met Your Mother Himself 5 episodes
2010 Gossip Girl Himself Episode: "Easy J"
2011 Teen Spirit Supervisor J-3 Television film
2012 The Revolution Himself (Co-Host)
2012 The Cleveland Show Himself Voice, 2 episodes
2013–2018 Sofia the First Baileywick Voice, 42 episodes[27]
2013 Sesame Street Bill Ding Episode: "Best House of the Year"
2013 Family Guy Himself Voice, episode: "Save the Clam"
2014 Under the Gunn Himself (Host)
2014 Hollywood Game Night Himself (Panelist) Episode: "What's Cooking on Game Night"
2015 Inside Amy Schumer Willenby Episode: "Foam"
2016 The Real O'Neals Himself Episode: "The Real Other Woman"
2017 Bill Nye Saves the World Himself Episode: "Designer Babies"
2017–2019 Mickey and the Roadster Racers Robbie Roberts Voice, 4 episodes
2017 BoJack Horseman Himself Voice, episode: "Hooray! Todd Episode!"
2019 Middle School Moguls Wren Voice, 2 episodes
2020–2022 Making the Cut Himself (Host) Also executive producer
2020 Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? Himself Voice, episode: "A Fashion Nightmare!"[27]
2021 Animaniacs Pageant Host Voice, episode: "Mouse Congeniality"
2023 Bob's Burgers Sewing Machine Voice, episode: "Gift Card or Buy Trying"
2026 Sofia the First: Royal Magic Baileywick Voice, main role[28]

Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2010 Sex and the City 2 Himself
2011 The Smurfs Henri

Published works

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  • Gunn, Tim; Moloney, Kate (2007), Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., ISBN 978-0-8109-9284-9
  • Gunn, Tim; Calhoun, Ada (September 2010), Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work, Gallery Books, ISBN 978-1-4391-7656-6
  • Gunn, Tim (May 2011), Shaken, Not Stirred, Tim Gunn, ASIN B004UN4L9E
  • Gunn, Tim; Calhoun, Ada (September 2012), Tim Gunn's Fashion Bible: The Fascinating History of Everything in Your Closet, Gallery Books, ISBN 978-1-4516-4387-9
  • Gunn, Tim (March 2015), Tim Gunn: The Natty Professor: A Master Class on Mentoring, Motivating, and Making It Work!, Gallery Books, ISBN 978-1476780061

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Tim Gunn". Biography.com. A&E Networks. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  2. ^ "Not My Job: Project Runway's Tim Gunn Gets Quizzed On Terrible Fashion". NPR.org.
  3. ^ a b c d Randy Shulman (September 26, 2007). "Naked Gunn: Bravo's style maven and gay icon, Tim Gunn". Metro Weekly. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  4. ^ "Tim Gunn Reveals Suicide Attempt, Urges Gay Youth to Reach Out". E!. October 5, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  5. ^ "It Got Better featuring Tim Gunn". It Gets Better Project. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  6. ^ "Tim Gunn's Bio", Bravo, Project Runway, archived from the original on February 4, 2009, retrieved October 31, 2007
  7. ^ Thomas, Kelly. "Stuck on You". Art + Auction. Blouin Art Info. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  8. ^ "Project Runway | Emmys.com". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  9. ^ "Tim Gunn and Kathy Griffin to guest-star on Ugly Betty", The Advocate, January 18, 2007, retrieved October 31, 2007
  10. ^ "Liz Claiborne Press Release", Liz Claiborne, Inc.: Press Release, February 1, 2007, archived from the original on January 15, 2016, retrieved October 31, 2007
  11. ^ "California Gunn", Publishers Weekly, Inc.: Article, April 27, 2007, archived from the original on September 21, 2007, retrieved April 27, 2007
  12. ^ "Corcoran Gallery of Art". Archived from the original on February 24, 2012.
  13. ^ "Craig Ferguson - Dear Aquaman with Tim Gunn Season 6 Episode 980". Archived from the original on November 25, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2009 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ Kate Stanhope. "Tim Gunn and Kenny Rogers to appear on How I Met Your Mother". TV Guide.
  15. ^ "Tim Gunn to Guest-Star on Gossip Girl". TV Guide. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  16. ^ Christie D'Zurilla (September 7, 2018). "Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn Leave 'Project Runway' for Amazon Prime Video project". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  17. ^ "Jeffrey Lependorf composer / performer". Jeffreylependorf.com. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  18. ^ "Introducing Marvel Comics' Hired Gunn", TV Guide, p. 13, September 7, 2009
  19. ^ "'Do I Sound Gay?': Toronto Review". The Hollywood Reporter, September 8, 2014.
  20. ^ "Tim Gunn on Money and How to Make It Work". Living Not So Fabulously. July 2, 2025. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  21. ^ Hernandez, Greg (September 12, 2010). "Tim Gunn's revealing People interview: "When I was seventeen, I'd made a serious suicide attempt"". greginhollywood.com. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  22. ^ Lynch, Rene (January 25, 2012), "Tim Gunn's 29 years of celibacy: Yes, it's unusual, expert says", Los Angeles Times, retrieved July 8, 2014
  23. ^ "The Discerning Brute Chats With Tim Gunn About Going Fur Free". February 26, 2009. Archived from the original on May 20, 2009. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
  24. ^ Belonsky, Andrew (July 25, 2013). "WATCH: Tim Gunn In For Quinn". Out.
  25. ^ "Queerty Pride50 2020 Honorees". Queerty. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  26. ^ Bull, Chris (July 27, 2020). "These style-makers are changing how the world sees gender, one outfit at a time". Queerty. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  27. ^ a b "Tim Gunn (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 23, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  28. ^ Petski, Denise (August 8, 2025). "New 'Cars' & 'Marvel's Avengers' Series Ordered by Disney Jr.; 'Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+' Renewed For 2 More Seasons; Castings & Premiere Dates". Deadline. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
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