Last week, the internet took a trip down memory lane by looking back at some old clips from America’s Next Top Model, which premiered in 2003 and aired for 24 seasons.
Unfortunately, it’s wasn’t a fun nostalgic trip. It was more of an OMG-I-can’t-believe-this-was-ever-aired-on-television trip.
Many on Twitter pointed out just how terribly the show has aged, particularly the behavior of creator/host Tyra Banks.
Like the time she told a contestant not to be too proud about being gay lest she annoy people with her identity on the red carpet…
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Nah how did Tyra get away with this LOL pic.twitter.com/XrguUvgWFh
— Tanya Compas (@TanyaCompas) May 2, 2020
Or the time she bullied a contestant for having a gap in her teeth. (Banks later crowned the contestant the winner of the season, but only after she agreed to fix her teeth.)…
Why was this allowed to air wtf Tyra banks is going to straight hell pic.twitter.com/xtiWl3srKJ
— Aisha Oladapo (@OladapoAisha) May 5, 2020
Or the time she made a model do a photo shoot in a graveyard the day after her best friend died tragically…
Thinking about how Tyra banks made a girl on ANTM do a photoshoot in a graveyard the day after her childhood best friend died
— NIAMH (@angelthott) May 4, 2020
As the clips recirculated, pretty much everyone came to the same conclusion: Tyra Banks was kinda awful.
I’m convinced Tyra Banks treated those girls so badly on ANTM was because she wanted to project her imagined ‘past’ and mistreatment onto them. She’s 100000% a narcissist and a bully.
— ? (@privatelinny) May 5, 2020
Genuinely cannot believe how problematic Tyra Banks used to be. I used to love her and obsessed over Americans Next Top Model but now I'm looking back like pic.twitter.com/d9lAIBqRwZ
— Critical Optimist (@Nasimsalad) May 5, 2020
Tyra banks: shave your head
Tyra banks 5 minutes later: yeah so actually you’re going home
— shojo whore (@demojaaa) May 4, 2020
Tyra Banks being… problematic asf. ?????
A Thread pic.twitter.com/Q023ttjyTJ
— ??????? ??????? ??????? ?? (@QveenKuntaa) May 6, 2020
I just feel like Tyra Banks was a bully on ANTM?
— A N A (@Analyysiaaa) May 4, 2020
Eventually, the 46-year-old was forced to issue a statement about her past treatment of aspiring models and how she denigrated those who looked up to her.
“Been seeing the posts about the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments and I agree with you,” she told her 14.4 million followers on Twitter. “Looking back, those were some really off choices. Appreciate your honest feedback and am sending so much love and virtual hugs.”
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. Appreciate your honest feedback and am sending so much love and virtual hugs. ??
— Tyra Banks (@tyrabanks) May 9, 2020
Ken Mok, one of the show’s producers, replied to Banks’ tweet, adding: “I look at some of those #ANTM moments and cringe. Just a FYI — the entire creative team made the choices in those shows — not just Tyra. So please feel free to yell at me for some of the worst moments in ANTM history! Apologies to all.”
Want to reiterate what @tyrabanks said. I look at some of those #ANTM moments and cringe. Just a FYI – the entire creative team made the choices in those shows – not just Tyra. So please feel free to yell at me for some of the worst moments in ANTM history! Apologies to all. https://t.co/OzoqqXrDoU
— Ken Mok (@kenmok) May 9, 2020
Meanwhile, Danielle Evans, who was told to fix the gap in her teeth all those years ago, put out her own statement.
In a video posted to Instagram, she said she wanted to “take this time to build up and to speak to all of my young queens that saw that episode that were truly affected by Tyra’s words.”
“You’re beautiful, and I’m not talking about a physical feature,” Evans said. “It doesn’t matter if you have a gap, stacked teeth, straight teeth, it matters not. It doesn’t matter if you’re black, brown, white, indifferent, other, it doesn’t matter. What makes you beautiful is in here.”
Related: Tyra Banks ripped off a ‘Drag Race’ queen and the Internet’s coming for her crown
frapachino
Where’s the outrage ? Asking for Roseanne Barr!
Cam
Oh, you mean Roseanne who made all of those racist comments?
Interesting how enraged you get whenever a racist gets in trouble.
C_Alan
Then be outraged. Nobody’s stopping you.
Ultimo Patriarch
Why is it every post you make reeks of making america gross again
Kieran
Don’t you dare compare Roseanne to this. Roseanne actually has talent.
irenebwebb
This easy job just by giving this job only 2 to 3 hrs a day using my laptop. Everybody on this earth can now get this job and start making more cash online just by follow instructions on this web page…?6.gp/a738e
Cam
@Kieran
Nothing outrages you right wig Republican trolls than racists being held responsible for their comments.
controversial2019
Misleading title.
I never watched the episode, so I’m only going on the clip above, but by also referencing to her “pride” at being black, Tyra was clearly say you don’t need to make it your IDENTITY. She wasn’t saying you can’t / shouldn’t be proud of being gay; just that it doesn’t need to be your identity. Which is true. I am not a gay man. I’m a man who happens to be gay. They’re very different things.
I also have a lot of issue with “pride”. To me (and I’m British; don’t know if there’s a cultural difference, maybe fellow Brits can weigh in), I don’t feel pride for things of which I have no control.
When I achieve things (my degree, passing a driving test, employee of the month) then I feel pride. But things I have no control over and just AM (male, mixed race, gay) – I embrace being all of those but I don’t feel PROUD because I have no control over them.
Cam
@controversial2019
Pride is a response to being told you should be ashamed of yourself. You don’t get fired from your job for being employee of the month, or get bashed walking down the street for having a degree.
jfabz
@controversial2019 I agree with your Tyra comment. Also needed the context of the time this was filmed. In the mid 2000s, there was a certain image of what a “model” should look and act. While her comment didn’t age well, her comment was not out of place then.
Brian
I remember that season. I don’t know how much of it was because of editing (I imagine most of it), but she was very much THE GAY ONE throughout the season.
But yeah, telling her not to make being gay her whole identity, while simultaneously editing her to make her being gay her whole identity seems par for the course for ANTM and Tyra.
Bob LaBlah
Why did you guys skip over the 2007 Christmas party where she showed up with some guy in a Santa suit and served her staff cold McDonalds cheeseburgers at a bar that was the equivalent of a dive. She left after ten-twelve minutes and a drunken brawl broke out amongst her staff. She was so cheap the majority of the people who showed up for her talk show tapings walked out when it was discovered they would be sitting on metal card table chairs that were covered in a sheet. Ever notice how the audience was always filmed from the waist up?
Crystix
What show films their audience from the waist down? Literally any audience, no matter how “regal” the seats, will only be seen from the waist up cause they’re all sitting down in rows.
Cam
@Crystix asked…..”What show films their audience from the waist down?”
_______________________
Fox and Friends. They shoot at crotch level and make the women co-hosts wear short skirts.
Paulie P
Tyra…. regarding there gap……and a cover girl, two words. L A U R EN H U T T O N
aaaaaaannnd, Madonna and for the men Elton John and David Lettermen.
BUT LAUREN HUTTON….famous for the gap!
Catholicslutbox
Different time, and her gap wasn’t massive.
dmanhart
They weren’t models. If they were, they would have to fix the gap in their teeth as well.
aL2000
Someone needs to tell dmanhart his ignorance is showing. Lauren Hutton WAS a model years before she became an actress .
Kieran
Unbelievable what they used to get away with without anyone noticing. Ugly straight privilege on full display for everyone to see. Tyra your homophobic days are OVER.
Josh447
I don’t find any evidence of Tyra h-phobe in these clips at all. Nada.
Hence the invention of the gay peanut gallery term drama queen.
MikeM
You’re absolutely right. ANTM was always incredibly inclusive with both contestants and staff. I can remember her chastising contestants for their homophobia and transphobia, telling them they were in the wrong business if they despised either population. She even had a trans contestant early on in the series. I’m not the biggest Tyra Banks fan, but she is better than they are criticizing her for.
Catholicslutbox
People are looking for some one to “cancel.” I 100% understood Ellen, but Tyra did not seem one bit homophobic. Pretty sure that clip was taken out of context.
dmanhart
Yup. You nailed it.
ScottOnEarth
I guess there’s not enough to complain about in the present day, so a bunch of losers have to go back two decades to pick on Tyra. Her job was to prepare these wannabes for the real modeling world. She was always clear about that..and, guess what – the modeling world isn’t warm and fuzzy and it was much more focused on physical perfection back in the day. Grow up, people.
MikeM
And she tried to break down those barriers as well, having plus sized models and people with disabilities in the competition. One season she had a girl with visible scars and another season a girl with vitiligo. She was very much into using her power and influence into changing society’s perceptions of what “beauty” is and can be.
Woteva
A vile, VILE woman.
Josh447
Everyone is vile to a vile extremist.
Donston
It’s fine to look back and recognize problematic, hateful or manipulative shit. Things are different now, and it’s okay to acknowledge that. However, ANTM was always trash TV. Yet, everyone back then got their life off of it. While every reality show was (and mostly still is) trashy, manipulative, often problematic entertainment. The sudden piling on towards this particular show, a show that hasn’t been relevant in a decade, is too much. Find something else to do people.
Black Pegasus
Tara was right. Humans should be proud of the things they were able to accomplish and the lives they were able to affect. Being proud of your sexual orientation or race makes you look small in my opinion.
Donston
I’m over the “pride” thing on a sociological level. I feel culturally we need to evolve past the basic concepts of pride and identity politics. It’s also narcissistic. While there are plenty of folks who hype up their “pride” but don’t genuinely have self-comfort or self-respect or respect for others or basic communication skills. But the way you constantly promote gay shame and how you just exude bitterness and resentment is not the move. Furthermore, what you said isn’t close to what Tyra said.
Black Pegasus
@Donston
Thanks for actually addressing some of my points regarding identity and humanism. As for the other ad hominem attacks you’ve launched my way, I couldn’t care any less if I tried. 🙂
Man About Town
This show premiered 17 years ago and ran for 24 seasons? How long is a season these days??
MikeM
There would be a fall and a spring season each year. The show went off the air for a couple of years before a return. Not sure if it’s still on. She produced some working models, but not the “top model” she envisioned.