Jay Manuel finally shares where he and Tyra Banks stand now after America’s Next Top Model split

For years, viewers of America’s Next Top Model have wondered what really went down between the ultimate early-2000s reality TV duo, Tyra Banks and Jay Manuel, and now, following Netflix’s new docuseries Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, Jay has opened up about where things actually stand now after their split.

Jay had been Tyra’s makeup artist before ANTM. And when she created the show, she brought him in as creative director. In the early seasons, he’s said they would literally lie on the bed at her house in LA or his in New York and dream up photo shoot concepts together. But as the show grew, so did the pressure.

Jay explained in the doc that the show “evolved in a way I had never expected,” and he eventually didn’t recognise the version of himself he was seeing on TV. By cycle nine, he was no longer producing the shoots, even though viewers still believed the creative direction was fully his.

One major turning point was the race-swapping shoot. Speaking to Gold Derby, he said “the race-swapping shoot was something I was very uncomfortable with from the moment I heard about it.”

He added, “That was probably my most difficult day on set.”

After eight cycles, Jay decided to leave. In the Netflix documentary, he revealed he sent Tyra a long email explaining his decision. According to him, she replied three days later with just, “I am disappointed.”

He later returned for additional cycles, but things were different. Off camera, he’s said, there wasn’t the same closeness.

When he, J. Alexander and Nigel Barker eventually left for good, what hurt most wasn’t being let go; it was “how it was handled”.

So, where do Jay and Tyra stand now?

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via Netflix

When asked whether Tyra ever made the phone call she referenced in the doc, saying, “I should call Jay”, he responded, “No. Absolutely not. My number’s the same.” He admitted, “I don’t think she would [call].”

Speaking to Interview Magazine, Jay said, “Even though we don’t speak, I have a level of understanding and respect for her history. And, as a Black model in this industry, recognising what she’s had to go through, and what she’s shared with me, I will keep her confidence, even though we don’t speak anymore.”

He added, “I’ve been given the gift of trust with her. And even though there was a divide, I can understand where she comes from and some of her reactions.”

Also, he said he doesn’t regret any of it. “I honestly don’t regret any of it because the entire experience made me who I am today. And I feel really good with where I am.”

He also shared a story about taking Tyra to see Wicked in the mid-2000s. Afterwards, she texted him saying the song “For Good” made her realise, “that song is us.” Reflecting on that now, Jay said, “My life was changed for good because of her. And I don’t want people to think of her as a villain because I don’t, at all.”

Jay said that he is open to a call, although he doesn’t think he would get one. “I would be absolutely ready to sit down with her. I’m in a very healed space now. So if she wanted to sit down and have tea, I would do it”

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