Heidi Klum sparks backlash for faking pregnancy by wearing prosthetic baby bump on April Fools’ Day
Supermodel Heidi Klum is coming under fire from some of her 10.7 million Instagram followers for elaborately faking a pregnancy on April Fool’s Day.
After posing for several photos with her fellow America’s Got Talent judges while wearing a prosthetic belly, the 49-year-old Making the Cut host received immediate backlash for her joke that was called “tacky” and insensitive.
On Saturday, the mother-of-four reposted an image, first shared by Sofia Vergara, who could be seen kissing her fake belly, with the caption: “I’m going to be an auntie!!”
In the image, the former Victoria’s Secret Angel cradled her stomach in a dressing room while wearing a cropped black sweater, long skirt and a pair of tan UGG slippers.
Howie Mandel also tried to fool his fans with the image, which he captioned: ‘Congratulations. @heidiklum’s co-workers @sofiavergara and I are the first to know.
Backlash: Supermodel Heidi Klum is being criticized by some of her 10.7 million Instagram followers for elaborately faking a pregnancy on April Fool’s Day
Hours later, Klum confirmed that she was not actually pregnant by posting a picture of Mandel, 67, with the prosthetic bump on her stomach.
“From me to you CONGRATULATIONS,” he joked.
The gag was criticized by all of her followers, with many commenting that “being pregnant is not a funny April Fool’s Day joke” as “so many women suffer from infertility.”
“I find this extremely disgusting and hurtful to those women who are still going through their infertility journey,” wrote another.
Dozens of people said the cast should be “ashamed” of the stunt.
Others predicted that Klum would have to “apologize to everyone who was offended tomorrow.”
Klum’s fake pregnancy announcement, however, seemed obvious to many who saw photos of her in a midriff-baring dress at the iHeartRadio Music Awards last week.
However, the idea of her being pregnant isn’t that far-fetched, considering she recently opened up about the possibility of wanting a child with her husband, Tom Kaulitz.
Tacky: After posing for several photos with her fellow America’s Got Talent judges while wearing a prosthetic baby bump, the 49-year-old Making the Cut host received immediate backlash for her joke that was called “tacky” and insensitive.
Not so funny: The gag was criticized by all its followers, with many commenting that “being pregnant is not a funny April Fools joke” since “a lot of women suffer from infertility”.
“I find this extremely disgusting and hurtful to those women who are still going through their infertility journey,” wrote another.
Outdated: One Instagram user stated that this is “not funny to many human beings.”
‘The pregnancy jokes for April Fool’s Day are really tasteless and heartless. You should all be ashamed,” chimed in a fourth.
Frustrated fans: Dozens of others said the cast should be ‘ashamed’ of themselves for the stunt
‘Depends what day it is, sometimes I’m here [for it]sometimes here [where I am not], You know?’ said the German beauty on The Jennifer Hudson Show in February.
Heidi became a mother for the first time in 2004 with the birth of her first daughter, and later welcomed three more children with ex-husband Seal.
I mean it’s a lot. I’ve done it four times. I breastfed eight months each time [with my four kids] and then I got pregnant again.
More to come? The idea of her being pregnant isn’t that far-fetched, as she recently talked about considering having another child, with her current husband, Tom Kaulitz.
She continued: ‘Three times in a row. Again [my children are] 18, 17, 16 and then 13. Now I waited a long time so maybe [yes].’
Tom, who is a musician in the band Tokio Hotel, is Heidi’s third husband.
The guitarist was once married to model Ria Sommerfeld between 2015 and 2018, but the couple had no children together.
Tom, who is a musician in the band Tokio Hotel, is Heidi’s third husband.
The guitarist was once married to model Ria Sommerfeld between 2015 and 2018, but the couple had no children together.
Kisses: Heidi and Tom married in 2019 after less than a year together
Celebrate: The America’s Got Talent judge has been married twice before and Tom has been married once before; Heidi and Tom celebrating the New Year
Heidi had her first daughter, Leni, with Flavio Briatore, 72.
The America’s Got Talent judge later married musician Seal and had their other three children with him. Seal adopted Leni in 2009.
The couple were married from 2005 to 2014 and are the parents of sons Henry, 17, Johan, 16, and Lou, 13.
In 2018, the star sparked romance rumors with Tom after they were seen holding hands on multiple outings.
They became engaged later that year and secretly married in February 2019.
Blended: The beauty gushed to US Weekly in 2022 about how easily Tom blended in with his big family
In 2022, the star sprouted at US Weekly about how quickly Tom blended in with his family after he got married.
‘[Tom’s] amazing. I’m sure it’s not easy to step into an immediate family, suddenly having four children and teenagers.
They were easier when they were younger, for sure. Every age comes with its challenges. … It’s lovely. It’s fun. I mean, so far, so good.
Like mother like daughter: Heidi became a mother in 2004 when her 18-year-old daughter Leni was born. She has three other children, Henry, 17, Johan, 16, and Lou, 13; Leni and Heidi modeling together in 2022