The America’s Next Top Model judges have addressed where things stand now with Tyra Banks

America’s Next Top Model judges have spoken out about where they actually stand now with the show’s executive producer, Tyra Banks.

The reality TV show wasn’t just a show. These people worked together for years. Some were friends before it even started. Then there were firings, fallouts, awkward emails and loads of unanswered questions. In the new Netflix doc, Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, the winners, contestants and judges sit down and reveal what really went down all those years ago.

So, here’s exactly where things stand now between the judges of America’s Next Top Model and Tyra Banks.

Jay Manuel

via Netflix

Jay Manuel was there from the start. Before ANTM, he was Tyra’s makeup artist. When she created the show, she brought him in as creative director.

In the early seasons, they were really close. But as the show progressed, things changed, and they eventually had a dramatic falling out.

Tyra said in the doc, “I should call Jay.” But when asked whether she ever did, Jay replied, “No. Absolutely not. My number’s the same.” He also 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.”

Jay also 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.”

And finally, he made this clear, “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.”

Nigel Barker

via Netflix

Nigel Barker was a judge for 18 cycles before he was fired alongside Jay and Miss J. Speaking on The Viall Files podcast, Nigel said, “Tyra and I are still friendly.”

He explained, “I don’t speak to her often. I normally speak to her once or twice a year… it’s always been very cordial.”

So they’re not close, but they are still in contact.

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When he left the show, he admitted, “I was definitely hurt at the time. I thought it was not handled well by the show.” He also said, “She doesn’t like that kind of confrontation, as for what I’ve experienced.”

Miss J

via Netflix

Miss J was one of the most recognisable faces on the show. In Reality Check, he revealed that in 2022 he suffered a stroke that left him in a coma for weeks. Nigel and Jay visited him at his bedside.

Miss J said, “I thought back to how we did the show together, and I cried because I just missed them so much.” As for Tyra, he said, “No, not yet. She just sent me a text, she wants to come to visit me. But no, not yet.”

So they haven’t reunited in person. There’s no major argument described, it just sounds distant.

Janice Dickinson

via CBS

Janice Dickinson was an original judge from cycle one to four and later returned as a guest. She was noticeably absent from the Netflix documentary. Director Daniel Sivan told Tudum, “We would’ve absolutely loved to interview Janice. She’s bigger than life. Unfortunately, she was tied up on another documentary.”

Janice is set to appear in Dirty Rotten Scandals, where she alleges the show “tortured” contestants for Tyra’s “ego”.

Over the years, she has been openly critical of Tyra. She has claimed she felt undermined on the show, accused production of re-editing her comments, said her “paycheck stayed the same” despite the show’s success, and alleged that she was fired after asking for proper writing credit. She has also said that Tyra is “not a friendly lady.”

However, in 2015, Janice did publicly apologise to Tyra, saying she had acted out after being hurt by being fired.

In a 2023 interview with Queerty, she claimed she was fired after asking for writing credit: “It was OK but after a couple of years, I went up to Tyra, politely, and asked her for a parody as a writer.” She said, “She turned her back on me for that and then I got fired the next season.”

When asked whether they’ve spoken since, she said, “No, don’t mess with the money! No, no no. Not with her!”

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