The promotional campaign for Ryan Murphy’s highly anticipated psychological thriller The Shards has officially kicked off with an internet-breaking moment on the Sunset Strip.
Kaia Gerber, the 24-year-old model-turned-actress and daughter of fashion icon Cindy Crawford, turned heads in West Hollywood after sharing a provocative, tongue-touching birthday kiss with her co-star, platinum-blonde pop artist Hayes Warner.
The viral moment, captured against the backdrop of a massive promotional billboard for the upcoming FX/Hulu series, has instantly sparked intense online buzz.
Posted to Gerber’s Instagram account—where she commands an audience of over 9.5 million followers—the slideshow of images was aptly captioned: “Communing with the divine.”
The bold publicity display serves as the perfect prelude to the dark, hyper-stylized world of The Shards, a 10-episode adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s acclaimed 2023 novel.
Set to premiere on August 5 on FX and Hulu, the series promises a heavy dose of 1981 Los Angeles nostalgia, youthful decadence, and psychological terror.
A Viral Birthday Celebration on the Sunset Strip
The provocative interaction between Gerber and Warner was more than just a playful nod to their characters; it was also a celebratory gesture. Warner celebrated her 26th birthday on Thursday, prompting Gerber’s early, headline-grabbing birthday kiss.
The social media post also featured a chaotic, lighthearted video snippet of the duo driving together. Warner, a Northwestern University graduate, jokingly commented on the post, “Me driving without looking at the road.”
Gerber quickly fired back with a witty defense: “Notice I turned back toward the road first.”
Despite the intense on-screen and promotional chemistry, both actresses remain firmly settled in their respective off-screen relationships.
Warner is currently in a relationship with music producer and DJ Christian Michael Dold, professionally known as Diamond Pistols. Meanwhile, Gerber has been romantically linked to fellow Hollywood legacy actor Lewis Pullman since December 2024.
Inside ‘The Shards’: Ryan Murphy’s Next Big Thriller
Based on Bret Easton Ellis’s gripping 2023 source material, The Shards follows a group of wealthy, privileged Los Angeles prep school students whose lives are upended by the arrival of a mysterious new student and the lurking threat of a serial killer known as the “Trawler.”
In the series, Kaia Gerber and Hayes Warner step into the roles of Susan Reynolds and Debbie Schaffer, two elite teenagers navigating the glittering but dangerous social hierarchy of 1980s LA.
The show marks another major collaboration between Gerber and mastermind showrunner Ryan Murphy. Gerber previously cut her teeth in Murphy’s campy horror universe, appearing in FX’s American Horror Story: Double Feature and its spin-off anthology American Horror Stories in 2021.
The ensemble cast features a powerful mix of rising talent and seasoned veterans, including:
- Igby Rigney as the central narrator
- Evan Rachel Wood in a pivotal supporting role
- Wes Bentley bringing his trademark intensity
- Graham Campbell and Daniel Dale
- Homer Gere, the breakout son of Hollywood legend Richard Gere
High Stakes: Gerber’s Search for a Box Office Hit
For Gerber, the success of The Shards is critical. While her modeling career remains bulletproof, her transition into Hollywood has met with a string of recent commercial and critical challenges.
Earlier this spring, Gerber appeared alongside Anne Hathaway in director David Lowery’s psychological thriller Mother Mary.
Despite high expectations, the film struggled at the box office, clawing back a mere $3 million against its $20 million production budget following its April 17 release.
Misfortune struck again just a week prior on April 10, when Jonah Hill’s dark comedy Outcome, starring Keanu Reeves and featuring Gerber in the role of Oksana, debuted to overwhelmingly dismal critical reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Adding to her professional hurdles, Apple TV+ officially canceled her period comedy-drama series Palm Royale in March after a two-season run.
With FX and Hulu backing The Shards, industry insiders view the series as Gerber’s prime opportunity to secure a definitive commercial hit and solidify her reputation as a leading dramatic actress.
Despite recent setbacks, Gerber’s Hollywood momentum shows no signs of slowing down. On May 1, Deadline reported that Gerber and her current partner, Lewis Pullman, have officially signed on to star in director James Morosini’s upcoming erotic thriller, Bulls.
The film will feature Gerber and Pullman as Ava and Marco, a married couple navigating dangerous temptations at a hedonistic island resort.
Proving her enthusiasm for the project, Gerber commented on Morosini’s celebratory Instagram post with three bullseye emojis.
Morosini shared his excitement with fans, writing: “Love this cast, love this team, here we go!”
Gerber’s high-profile career choices continue to keep her in the public eye, matching the intense scrutiny historically directed at her personal life.
Prior to her relationship with Pullman, Gerber was part of several other high-profile Hollywood pairings, including a multi-year relationship with Oscar nominee Austin Butler (2021–2024), Euphoria star and Oscar nominee Jacob Elordi (2020–2021), and Saturday Night Live alum Pete Davidson (2019–2020).
By shifting her focus toward Hollywood, Gerber is directly mirroring the career trajectory of her mother, 1990s supermodel icon Cindy Crawford.
Crawford famously leveraged her global runway fame into various acting roles throughout the late 90s and 2000s, appearing in the action film Fair Game, as well as television guest spots on Frasier, 3rd Rock from the Sun, According to Jim, Wizards of Waverly Place, and BoJack Horseman.
Crawford, 60, shares Kaia and her 27-year-old brother, Presley Gerber, with her longtime husband, Casamigos tequila co-founder Rande Gerber.
As Kaia continues to carve out her own legacy separate from her mother’s massive modeling shadow, The Shards stands out as a pivotal, must-watch moment in her evolving career.
The Shards officially premieres August 5 on FX, with streaming available next-day on Hulu.