Tyra Banks Defends America's Next Top Model Behavior After Years Of Criticism

Some fans may not be rooting for Tyra Banks now — not after she defended America’s Next Top Model despite all the controversy!

Perezcious readers may know that the supermodel came under fire years ago after several contestants, including Cycle 5 alum and Cycle 17 winner Lisa D’Amato, Cycle 4’s Tiffany Richardson, and Cycle 1 winner Adrianne Curry, called her out for her horrible comments and behavior on the competition series.

When clips resurfaced online, viewers also slammed Tyra and the other judges for how they treated the aspiring models, like harshly criticizing their appearances, enforcing super unrealistic beauty standards, and more. Remember when the Victoria’s Secret angel told Cycle 6 winner Danielle Evans she would never be a “Covergirl” with a gap in her teeth? She even wanted her to close the space between her front teeth or face elimination, insisting it wasn’t “marketable.” Yikes.

That only scratched the surface of the offensive actions on that show! Tyra also had the contestants do controversial photo challenges in which the models transformed into different races on a few cycles! WTF! The former Dancing with the Stars host acknowledged “the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments” at the time, but don’t expect her to apologize for any of this years later!

While accepting the Luminary Spotlight honor at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards last Thursday, she recognized the show had its fair share of problematic moments. However, Tyra still defended the show! In the speech, she recalled how hard she “fought” to bring diversity to the competition:

“Over 20 years ago, I created a show called America’s Next Top Model. And you guys have no idea how hard we fought to bring the diversity to that television show at a time when it didn’t exist, to show different beauties at a time when the world was like, ‘What? You casting that?’ A time when people in the fashion industry were telling me, ‘You putting the girls from the hood on your show?’ I was like, ‘Why can the girl from the trailer park become a supermodel but the girl that’s chilin’ in the park in the hood can’t?’ And we fought and we struggled, and we made it happen.”

Tyra pointed out that she and her team didn’t always “get it right,” but she refused to let the controversy tarnish its legacy:

“Did we get it right? Hell no. I said some dumb s**t. But I refuse to have my legacy be about some stuff linked together on the internet when there were 24 cycles of changing the world. And I am so excited that I, and so many of us, have opened that door for others to follow.”

It was a lot more than just her saying some “dumb s**t.” She advocated for diversity, which is absolutely amazing, but then had models dressed in blackface on national TV. It’s like taking one step forward in the right direction and then ten steps back! None of that has ever been and will never be OK. There’s no defending those moments. And let’s not forget that past contestants also have been very open about how traumatic it was to be on the show! So, to brush everything aside, not even take a moment to apologize for getting it wrong at times, is just a little disheartening to see. It comes across like Tyra is not even really sorry for what happened back then. But do you agree? Tyra concluded:

“And now my 51-year-old, dimpled, cellulite-covered bigger tummy and 10 million times bigger titties is walking through that door that I opened with all of us behind us on that runway saying, ‘Baby, it’s just the beginning.’”

Watch the speech (below):

Your impact is immeasurable.For 24 cycles, America’s Next Top Model broke barriers, challenged beauty standards, and fought for diversity in an industry that often refused to make space for us.

From the moment you stepped into the industry to the creation of ANTM, you’ve given… pic.twitter.com/brg7aNhvRn

— ESSENCE (@Essence) February 28, 2025