Princewill Pius
Tyra Banks and American’s Next Top Model have been in the news cycle after clips that didn’t age too well resurfaced. While many have circulated, a few received a much-deserved 2020 “yikes!” — including a contestant being asked to close her gap tooth, which Banks mocked; an openly masculine-presenting lesbian being asked to “tone down” her sexuality; and the clip that’s creating the largest buzz: a race-swapping episode, which featured a white contestant performing blackface.
When asked about these scenes, Jay Manuel couldn’t defend Banks’ actions and said he felt “uncomfortable” with some of her more notable inappropriate comments. “At the time, I had not done reality TV, and I was also learning as I went along, and I was guided by Tyra and Ken [Mok, executive producer],” Manuel told Variety in mid-May 2020, “and you have to trust your producers to follow their lead. It was a struggle to process some stuff at times.”
Both Banks and Mok spoke publicly about the show’s controversial moments. Bank addressed the scenes in a vague, semi-apology tweet: “Looking back, those were some really off choices. Appreciate your honest feedback and am sending so much love and virtual hugs.” Mok attempted to diminish the view of Banks being the sole decision-maker, tweeting that “the entire creative team made the choices on those shows — not just Tyra.” However, Manuel protested by saying all final decisions came down to the pair.
Written by: Nicki
