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The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show made its grand return to TV on October 15 with dozens of familiar faces, including Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, and more, but at least one model was missing from the runway: Kendall Jenner.
Jenner previously walked in the brand’s 2015, 2016, and 2018 fashion shows before the event was cancelled in 2019 following its organizer Edward Razek’s resignation due to public pressure over criticism toward the brand for creating a culture of misogyny and harassment. The fashion show returned in 2023 under a rebranded special titled “The Tour ’23,” which faced mixed reviews for how different it was from the original shows.
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When the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show returned again in 2024, viewers took note of how much closer it resembled the event’s original format, especially with veteran models like Candice Swanepoel and Behati Prinsloo. But where was Kendall Jenner?
Why wasn’t Kendall Jenner in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show?
Though Victoria’s Secret nor Jenner have confirmed the reason she wasn’t in the 2024 fashion show, TMZ reported in 2017 that Jenner’s contract with competing lingerie brand La Perla prevented her from walking in the 2017 fashion show due to a non-compete clause.
While it’s unclear if Jenner is still under contract with La Perla, she did model for Calvin Klein’s fall 2024 underwear campaign, along with Alexander Skarsgard, which may have a similar deal to La Perla preventing Jenner from modeling for other underwear brands until her contract with them is complete.
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There’s also the issue of money that may have prevented her from returning for the 2024 fashion show. Forbes named Jenner was the highest-paid model of 2022 with $69 million in earnings—more than other Victoria’s Secret models like Gisele Bundchen (who earned $33 million), Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (who earned $32 million), Cara Delevigne (who earned $31 million), and Adriana Lima (who earned $30 million.) Of those top five, only Lima walked the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which made more sense for Victoria’s Secret to invest in given that Lima was a former Angel for the brand unlike Jenner.
Jenner previously told Glamour UK in 2018 about the qualities she sees in Victoria’s Secret models. “Start from inside. I know that sounds corny but it’s true! I feel like I couldn’t say I was as comfortable with myself or as confident as I was the first time I walked. It takes growth and finding yourself and inner peace,” she said.
Jenner also reacted to her and her sisters Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, and Kylie Jenner’s Victoria’s Secret-inspired Halloween costume that year. “They could have been out there with me!” Jenner said of how her sisters could’ve joined her for that year’s fashion show. “They really could have been. All of them could actually do it but Kourtney has the sass; she would be a good bad angel.”
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is available to stream on Prime Video.