The Shady Side Of Tyra Banks

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"America's Next Top Model" went off the air back in 2018, which is pretty long in the entertainment world. But thanks to the resurfacing of old clips on social media and a Netflix documentary about all its trials and tribulations, the talent search has remained a pop culture constant. And much of the ongoing discourse surrounding the show revolves around its outspoken host, judge, and creator Tyra Banks.

Indeed, even back in the show's heyday, Banks' behavior was seen as misguided at best. But viewed through a Gen Z and Gen Alpha lens, it's now often considered downright toxic. She berated contestants for having the gall to suffer from hypothermia, advised them to fix their teeth, lose weight, and even darken their skin, and forced one contestant to pose in a casket while grieving for their late friend. And her problematic behavior extends far beyond the "ANTM" set, too. Here's a look at 14 examples of the supermodel at her super-shadiest.

In 2012, news emerged that runway coach J. Alexander and photographer Nigel Barker — two names who'd been "America's Next Top Model" ever-presents since its first season in 2003 — had been fired. And its host and creator wasn't exactly apologetic about this development. Indeed, following the axings, Tyra Banks essentially said, "That's life!" "We've reached a point where we feel that the show just needs a new boost," she told Access Hollywood (via Page Six) before arguing that several other behind-the-scenes figures were instrumental in making the decision. 

The 19th season would also be missing Jay Manuel, the director of photoshoots who, unlike his colleagues, left on his own terms. Several years later, he told the podcast "Just the Sip!" that his boss wasn't particularly supportive at the time. "Tyra's a businesswoman, and I thought for sure she'd understand," he explained. "I thought I was being very lovely and respectful ... she just had two words for me: 'I'm disappointed.' And that was it. That was the end of the discussion." Here's a closer look at the truth about Banks and Manuel's relationship. 

Tyra Banks found herself in hot water in 2009 thanks to an "America's Next Top Model" segment in which six competitors were given treatments designed to make their skin look darker. "Racy or Racist?" asked E! News in an example of the subsequent media outcry (via NBC Los Angeles). Even one of the contestants subjected to the treatment, Jennifer An, called the stunt out. As for Banks, she insisted the media had gotten it all wrong.

"What we thought was a celebration turned out to be ... very negative in some of the press and a lot of them were even saying that it was a form of racism," Banks said while addressing the controversy on her self-titled chat show before arguing that the headlines didn't reflect what actually happened.  She went on to add that the idea was influenced by "hapa," a Hawaiian word that refers to a person whose ancestry is multi-racial: She concluded her speech by insisting that as a proud Black woman, she'd never stoop to using blackface: "I love my people and the struggle that we have gone through continues and the last thing that I would ever do is be a part of something that degraded my race."

Tyra Banks has always presented herself as an LGBTQ+ ally. But her advice during one particular "America's Next Top Model" Season 5 episode wasn't exactly a glowing display of solidarity. Indeed, the host essentially advised openly gay contestant Kim Stolz to get back in the closet.

The controversy started when Stolz told runway coach J. Alexander, photoshoot director Jay Manuel, and Banks that she was proud of her sexuality, describing her look as "masculine." In response, the Banks said (via Metro), "I think there's a certain thing of being proud. Like, I'm Black and proud. But I'm not walking down the red carpet like, 'I'm Black, I'm Black.'"

Several years later, Manuel — who's also openly gay — admitted to Variety that he felt discomfort at Banks telling Stolz to tone down her true self. "[W]e ask these girls to come in the room and the producers remind the girls before they come in: 'Tell them who you are,'" he said. "'You're not just a pretty face. You have to have a discussion about who you are.' These girls are coached to speak their truth and tell Tyra who they are, and then Tyra said that, so it seemed a bit unfair."

Of course, "America's Next Top Model" isn't the only reality show where Tyra Banks has been accused of bad behavior. In 2017, an unnamed woman filed a lawsuit against the makers of "America's Got Talent" after arguing the supermodel had "physically manipulated and verbally abused" her daughter during the audition stages (via Page Six). The anonymous woman referred to as Jane Doe claimed that while performing a track about motherhood with her husband, Banks pulled back her daughter's hair and shook her shoulder. Doe said she was too afraid to call out the conduct at the time. The lawsuit also alleged the judge had mocked the original composition and the performance of it while also implying the youngster had been conceived accidentally. Consequently, the latter was left both depressed and traumatized. 

The show's executives had agreed to keep the girl out of the shot following the complaint. But the plaintiff also wanted to ensure that her rendition never made it to air over concerns that it would cause "further emotional distress." The amount of money sought was never publicly disclosed, and it's unclear how the case was actually settled.

There was only ever one winner who could be described as plus-size in the 24 seasons of "America's Next Top Model" — Whitney Thompson. And judging by how host Tyra Banks responded to contestant Keenyah Hill in the show's early years, it's a surprise that number isn't zero. Indeed, poor Hill was constantly shamed for her weight during her Season 4 stint. During a photo shoot that was themed around animals, she was tasked with portraying an elephant. In another based on the seven deadly sins, she was appointed as "gluttony." And in one particular panel conversation, Banks practically claimed that photo editors had to work overtime airbrushing the competitor's gut.

"At home, pretty much I try to eat right," Hill felt compelled to tell the judges about her dietary habits (one of the many reasons "ATM" is more cringe than you remember). "And we come here, my metabolism and everything is thrown off." To add insult to injury, Janice Dickinson chimed in, "Stop! If you're sporting a gut, then you turn to the side and disguise it!"

Tiffany Richardson's exit in the 4th season of "America's Next Top Model" provided one of the show's most memorable moments, and it also provided another example of how host Tyra Banks takes absolutely no prisoners. The iconic, meme-spawning incident occurred just before Richardson and fellow eliminee Rebecca Epley were about to leave the set. And it's fair to say that Banks didn't take kindly to the former speaking up for herself. After telling her to be quiet, the supermodel couldn't contain her fury, shouting (via BuzzFeed), "I have never in my life yelled at a girl like this. When my mother yells like this it's because she loves me. I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you! How dare you!"

And Banks wasn't done there, either. "Learn something from this!" she yelled (via Business Insider). "When you go to bed at night, you lay there and you take responsibility for yourself," she went on to scream at a decibel level that had every viewer turning down the volume on their remotes. "Because nobody's going to take responsibility for you. You rolling your eyes ... it's because you've heard it all before." The show's creator ended her remarkable rant by again demanding that Richardson take responsibility for herself. According to the object of her ire, however, what we saw on television was only a fraction of the verbal abuse she received.

Tyra Banks genuinely appeared to believe she was conducting an important social experiment in an episode of her self-titled chat show when she tried to experience life with obesity. Of course, not everybody appreciated the fact that she sported a 350-pound fatsuit to do so. Indeed, even in the less enlightened times of 2005, the stunt was considered tone-deaf.

Following a shopping trip in which members of the public openly laughed in her face, an awkward bus ride, and a trio of blind dates in which she was shamed for her weight, Banks told viewers that she hoped to have changed their viewpoint on the subject. "There's no excuse for rudeness," she said (via ABC News). "There's no excuse for ugliness. And there's no excuse for nastiness and that's what I experienced."

But the Chicago Tribune was just one of many outlets that expressed its disdain for Banks' 15-hour "ordeal," arguing that it was merely an attempt to make Banks feel better about herself. "Good intentions or not, it's inherently insensitive," the outlet wrote. "Who is the fat suit for, really? It's not like so-called fat women don't know they are mocked and scorned because of their size. They live it every day."

Several years after asking contestants to darken their faces for a biracial photoshoot on "America's Next Top Model," Tyra Banks became embroiled in another controversy over the issue of race. And on this occasion, it was the star's own skin that caused the furor. Indeed, in 2013, the supermodel staged "Tyra Banks Presents: 15," an exhibition in which she attempted to replicate "iconic images of her colleagues, competitors, and friends" (via Jezebel). This included Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss, and Cara Delevingne, and a preview she uploaded to social media sparked cries that she was essentially donning whiteface.

The star justified the creative decision in a statement promoting the show, saying that "the photography, styling, and transformative hair and make-up, along with Banks' extraordinary ability to emulate each character, takes the notion of 'black and white' beyond the portrayed models' varying ethnicity ..." But not everyone bought the spiel, though, and The Root's Yesha Callahan was more offended by the actual photography. "The true atrocity with these photos is not the fact that Tyra is wearing whiteface, but the fact that the photos are horrible," she wrote. "I mean, the Kate Moss photo looks like 'The Grudge.'"

Tyra Banks offered some rather contradictory advice during her lengthy stint on "America's Next Top Model" when it came to the issue of teeth. On each occasion, she was blasted for the ruthless manner in which she essentially appointed herself as a qualified dentist. In 2006, Banks, who once claimed that her "large forehead" saved her modeling career, tore into Dani Evans for her distinctive look. "Do you really think you can have a CoverGirl contract with a gap in your mouth?" she asked, while also ensuring that everybody saw how perfect her own veneers were (via Variety). Evans did as she was told and went on to be crowned the 6th season's winner.

But several years later, Banks appeared to have changed her tune. Indeed, in Season 15, the supermodel advised Chelsey Hurless to make the gap between her front teeth wider. Like Evans, Hurless obliged and had surgery to widen the gap.

It's fair to say "America's Next Top Model" contestants suffered for their art. None more so than Season 7's CariDee English, who started to suffer from hypothermia after being forced to pose in a freezing Spanish pool for one particularly hazardous challenge for hours on end. And unsurprisingly, sympathy from the show's host was in short supply.

Indeed, despite the visible shivers, trembles, and near-blue appearance, Tyra Banks essentially told English to suck it up, "This is real modeling, guys — being cold as heck," she barked (via Cosmopolitan). Confusingly, having clearly complained about her treatment, the competitor was still chided for failing to speak up for herself once she was finally allowed out of the water.

In an interview with TV Guide, English admitted she was left completely baffled by Banks' conduct. "I thought the 'high-maintenance' comment in panel really sucked a lot. Like, 'She's so high-maintenance, and it's all about 'me, me, me.” I was like, 'What? That's not how I am at all!'" And she also believes the water didn't need to be as Arctic as it was. "It could have been warm. But it was kept cold for the 'reality' part of it." Here are several other ANTM moments no one will forget. 

In 2005, "America's Next Top Model" staged a grisly "Seven Deadly Sins" photoshoot in which contestants had to pose inside a casket buried 8 feet into the ground. This was even more of an ordeal for one particular wannabe, Kahlen Rondot, who only hours before had discovered that a close friend had died. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Rondot recalled the moment that she checked a voicemail from home, which not only informed her of the tragedy but also that she'd missed the resulting funeral, too. "I was bawling and a mess," she said about the graveyard challenge in which she was tasked with representing "wrath." "... I turned around at one point and started to walk away. I thought I was going to keep walking and not come back."

Rondot managed to channel her anger into the shoot, but she still feels bruised by the fact she was put under such emotional strain in the first place. "I feel like we were just pawns in this production that Tyra's putting on for everybody's enjoyment and the fact that we were characters, we weren't humans behind the character," she said. Here's a closer look at what Banks was supposedly like behind the scenes. 

It's not just on talent shows where Tyra Banks displays shady behavior. In 2026, the supermodel was sued by a Washington, D.C. landlord for nearly $3 million for allegedly pulling out of an ice cream store's lease that was supposed to last ten years. According to Entertainment Weekly, Christopher Powell had agreed to open up a branch of Smize & Dream — the franchise that Banks had started with business associate Louis Martin — in one of his Eastern Market buildings. However, despite signing official papers, the pair subsequently disappeared without a trace just months later without keeping up their rent payments.

Powell claimed that he'd spent months organizing the store's opening and had lost out on other potential business while doing so. And to make matters worse, he soon discovered that Banks and Martin had just launched a branch at Woodley Park, just a couple of miles down the road. The defendants reportedly argued that they'd broken their lease, as they were expecting the entirety of the property and not just one space, and also cited a "myriad mechanical, electrical, and plumbing deficiencies," too (per NBC Washington).

To her credit, Tyra Banks has repeatedly acknowledged that she may have been a little too shady in the past. In 2020, following a resurfacing of multiple damaging clips from "America's Next Top Model," she tweeted (via Deadline), "Been seeing the posts about the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments and I agree with you. Looking back, those were some really off choices."

Banks also admitted to her talent show shortcomings while giving a speech at the 2025 Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards, telling the audience (via The Independent), "Did we get it right? Hell no. I said some dumb s***." However, some people — including former contestants — noted that the host had never explicitly said the words "I am sorry."

One such critic was Season 7 alum Eugena Washington, who revealed in a TikTok (via The Blast) that she was enjoying seeing her one-time judge receive backlash. "The fact that she never apologized for the damage she caused so many people and we're all supposed to be afraid," Washington said. "It's really fun to watch her flop. That's all."

Although Tyra Banks has since apologized for her continually problematic behavior across the 24 seasons of "America's Next Top Model," some of the show's fans believe that she still hasn't taken full responsibility. Indeed, the supermodel's comments in a trailer for the Netflix docuseries "Reality Check" left many seething with anger that they were being gaslit. In the offending clip, Banks admits that she often went "too far" on the talent search. However, she snuck in the caveat that viewers were "demanding it," appearing to place much of the blame on the drama-hungry TV audience. "So we kept pushing it, more and more and more," Banks added, referring to the various controversies that dogged the show.

"Damn, she just say it was our fault," commented one disgruntled tweeter (via The Blast). "Wonder if she'll take accountability for anything?" asked another. Others couldn't hide their disgust. "She blames the viewers for the shows egregious behavior of putting those young girls in harm's way. Shameful," an X user wrote.