Heidi Klum and husband Tom Kaulitz shot for the moon Thursday night, transforming into his-and-hers E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial characters for the supermodel’s annual Halloween bash.
The “America’s Got Talent” and “Project Runway” star always goes all out for Halloween, last year evolving into a multi-person peacock after previously dressing up as an elaborate butterfly, a worm, a sinewy cadaver and Fiona from “Shrek,” to name a few, as well as memorably aging herself up.
This time around, she again drew on a Hollywood classic, enlisting a team of prosthetic and special-effects makeup professionals to create Thursday’s extra-terrestrial costumes. Kaulitz embodied the classic version of the titular alien from Steven Spielberg’s 1982 film, while Klum took on the disguised version of E.T. Both of them sported the alien’s glowing finger.
“From the moment I started envisioning my costume for the 25th year of #HeidiHalloween I was inspired by one of my favorite movies,” Klum, 51, wrote Friday on Instagram, sharing a behind-the-scenes video of the hours-long costuming process.
“As a nine year old in Germany, E.T. introduced me to the idea that there’s life outside planet earth. So for the last year, we all put our heads together to figure out how to put my own stamp on such an iconic character,” she wrote. “I know E.T. wanted to go home, but I hope that if the movie took place in 2024 that my favorite extra terrestrial would come to my party instead.”
Klum’s 23rd annual Halloween party took place at Hard Rock Hotel in New York City and featured a bevy of celebrity guests. Earlier this week, Klum told USA Today that her yearly fête was a result of having few “really cool” Halloween party options in New York. The bash and Klum’s elaborate costumes have become a pop-culture touchstone for the holiday, and she kicked off the event earlier this week with a symbolic lighting of the Empire State Building.
On Thursday, Klum‘s and Kaulitz’s faces peeked through the necks of their respective costumes, which featured 3-D printed suits and digital sculptures on their heads to mimic E.T.’s animatronic noggin.
One artist working on the project described it as an innovative “full movie build.” Klum also confirmed that she would need to wear adult diapers to get through the night without having to use the restroom.
“Thank you to my husband for being the best sport and always dressing up with me year after year and thank you to the best, most talented team who took my wildest dream and turned it into reality. I couldn’t do it without you,” Klum added in her caption.
Also in attendance were Klum’s daughter, Leni, who also dressed up as an alien, Kelsea Ballerini and boyfriend Chase Stokes decked out as Danny and Sandy from “Grease,” Nicole Scherzinger as her blood-soaked “Sunset Boulevard” character and TikToker Charli D’Amelio as a “Black Swan” ballerina.
Questlove served as the event’s DJ, and Bethenny Frankel, Marc Jacobs, Eric Andre, the Elevator Boys, Ice T and Coco, Jay Manuel and Jonathan Van Ness were also among the guests.
Here on the West Coast, Grammy winner Janelle Monáe embodied the same iconic ‘80s character for the Halloween party she hosted in Los Angeles. Her E.T. costume featured animatronic eyes, a yellow index finger and the creature’s distinctive voice.
Speaking to the Associated Press about twinning with Klum, Monáe gave credit to her New York counterpart: “There can be two Hallo-queens. I love Heidi.”