Tyra Banks Insists Her Over-The-Top ‘America’s Next Top Model’ Persona Was Just A “Character” For TV
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The groundbreaking “reality” modeling show that became known for its harsh critiques, posing tips, and questionable challenges apparently wasn’t real at all – well, at least when it came to its judges.
Tyra Banks recently spoke with People about America’s Next Top Model, where she revealed that her over the top “persona” was all an act. She even admitted that in her “real life,” she has trouble giving feedback in the work place.
“I had a persona on TV that was totally different than who I am in real life,” she shared. “In real life, I have a lot of difficulty with giving feedback, like at work. I used to have to have a coach train me on how to say, ‘Well, you could have done this better.’”
“Now I’ve learned that giving people feedback, whether it’s people that you work with or your family or your friends, helps them and it helps your relationship,” she continued. “It’s like therapy for your relationship so that you can continue to keep that conversation going and stuff.”
Regarding how she conducted herself while giving ‘ANTM’ contestants feedback from 2003-2018, she added, “It’s a character. It’s not me in real life at all.”
A few controversial moments from the hit series included pressuring models to cut their hair, forcing models to shoot in cold waters — which caused one hypothermia — asking a model to pose in a casket after her friend had recently passed away, placing non-Black models in “Blackface,” calling a contestant with vitiligo a “Panda,” and more.
In a 2020 Twitter (now X) post, Banks acknowledged some of the trauma that ANTM caused some of its contestants.
“Been seeing the posts about the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments and I agree with you,” she wrote at the time. “Looking back, those were some really off choices. Appreciate your honest feedback and am sending so much love and virtual hugs.”
Another famed judge on the show, Janice Dickinson, also addressed backlash from the show for her controversial critiques and harsh remarks.
“It was acting. And that’s that,” she responded to a fan asking if she had “any regrets” about the show. “People forget that TV is acting.”
More from VIBE.com
