Dang! We’ve seen America’s Next Top Model alumni speak out against the show before, but Lisa D’Amato is ready to start a war! The now 40-year-old model/singer/reality star is one of the most recognizable names to come out of the competition. She only placed 6th in the 5th Cycle back in 2005, but a few years later she returned to win the 17th Cycle All-Stars in 2011. Now the only thing she seems interested in winning is a fight against Tyra Banks!
Related: Naomi Campbell Takes Aim At ‘Real Mean Girl’ Tyra Banks In SHADY Instagram Post
Taking to Instagram on Thursday, D’Amato addressed the former longtime ANTM host directly, beginning her video post:
“This message is for Tyra Banks. Remember me? Hi. Lisa. Remember when I had an opportunity to ask you one question in season 5 — a modeling question — and I came in and asked you a question that wasn’t about modeling and you kicked me out? Can I get that question back?”
That question (one of many she would ask throughout the emotional video as it turns out) was about how after Cycle 5 she risked an “about $5 million” breach of contract to talk about the ANTM production on True Hollywood Story. She explained, choking back tears:
“I did it knowing that it was a breach of contract, still, because I felt like it was my duty to warn other girls that were going to audition for America’s Next Top Model to know that what you guys do and the way that you guys would poke me and use my childhood trauma against me, day in and day out… “It was just so f**ked up, and it broke my heart. Like, how could you do that?”
Use her childhood trauma against her?! What does that mean??
We know Lisa began modeling when she was just 12 years old, but we have no idea if the trauma was related to the industry. But a caption came up as she spoke that said it bold letters:
“Sexual abuse, Physical abuse, Mental abuse.”
Whoa.
The Can’t Touch It! singer continued:
“I don’t know how you sleep at night. You, Tyra, you knew very well the horrible trauma that my mom inflicted on me, and you also talk so much about how you wouldn’t be where you are without your mother and how powerful she is. So knowing that, you still did that to me and continued to do it to other girls, even after I spoke publicly about it.”
Yikes. It’s wild to think Lisa actually returned to the show after all that — and won to boot! Maybe she just needed closure?
Of course if that was the case, we’re not sure she got it. Because she continued:
“How do you sleep at night? How do you sleep at night knowing that you’re torturing and poking at people’s, girls’ childhood traumas for your own profit?”
Obviously this isn’t the first time a model has spoken out.
Just last year Adrianne Curry — who walked away from the industry years ago — came out swinging on her own IG with tea about Tyra.
And then there were Angelea Preston (Cycles 12, 14 and 17) who spilled all in a DailyMail.com interview in 2015 and Jeana Turner (Cycle 24) who spoke out in a YouTube video. Lisa included snippets of both in her own vid, almost like she was compiling evidence for a case in the court of public opinion.
Related: Tyra Addresses Controversial America’s Next Top Model Comments
What do YOU think of Tyra after all this? It’s certainly become a case of she said/THEY said at this point, no?
Ch-ch-check out the whole video (below):
[Image via Nikki Nelson/Dimitri Halkidis/WENN.]
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