Modeling icon Tyra Banks has ignited fresh debate about early-2000s reality TV after appearing in a frank new docuseries examining the legacy of America’s Next Top Model.
Banks launched the once-revolutionary competition series at just 29 and, as became a hallmark of her media career, she was involved in nearly every aspect of the production—serving as executive producer, on-screen host, and the show’s self-styled mentor figure.
But Netflix’s Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model takes a different approach. This time, Banks reportedly had no editorial control and wasn’t given questions ahead of time, opening the door for former contestants and colleagues to share unfiltered criticism of the now 52-year-old powerhouse.
As the show’s reputation has been re-evaluated in recent years, the series raises difficult topics including bullying, racism, and the objectification of contestants. Banks addresses some of those concerns, but declines to discuss one specific episode from the program’s 15-year run—describing it as too ‘painful’.
That unresolved moment centers on her strained relationship with the show’s original creative director, Jay Manuel—one of the most prominent behind-the-scenes figures in the early seasons.
While Banks was willing to respond to questions about scenes that left contestants in tears, she stopped short when the topic turned to Manuel and the friction that eventually led to his exit in 2012, after years of discord.
The docuseries, however, doesn’t leave that part of the story untouched. Manuel appears to detail how the relationship deteriorated after years of close collaboration—beginning when he worked as Banks’ makeup artist and continuing as he joined the series from its inception.
According to Manuel, a turning point came in 2007 when he emailed Banks to say he planned to leave after the next cycle. He says the reply he received contained only three words: “I am disappointed.”
Manuel explained: “After that email exchange, all communication just stopped. It should’ve been the opportunity to have a heart-to-heart, but that did not happen.”
Although he ultimately returned for the following cycle, Manuel claims Banks took his attempted departure as a personal slight and that their interactions became strictly on-camera.
“It was like we were strangers,” he said on the documentary.
As the series revisits controversial challenges and concepts from the show—including a widely criticized ‘homeless’ photoshoot—Manuel has also expanded on the situation in interviews that followed the Netflix release.
Speaking to People earlier this month, he said being cut off left him ‘so broken by the end of that cycle because of the mental torture of what was going on.’
He added that since leaving in 2012, Banks has not reached out to him—even if she still considers the subject too ‘painful’ to address publicly.
Yet Manuel also offered a more reflective perspective in a separate conversation with Interview Magazine, saying he would still choose to participate if given the chance again. “Do I regret being on America’s Next Top Model? Absolutely not,” he said.
Adding: “I own it. But I wish I had a better sense of boundaries and the ability to help create a truly safe environment for all of the girls.”