ANTM’s Nigel Barker’s daughter is now a model despite him saying industry is toxic
Make it make sense
ANTM is having its big Netflix reckoning moment, and it’s a lot.
In Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, the judges and former contestants revisit the show’s most “wait… they aired THAT?!” scenes, from humiliating makeovers to storylines that now read as straight-up unsafe.
And right in the middle of it is longtime judge and photographer Nigel Barker, reflecting on what the industry normalised back then.
Here’s the twist… while he talks about how toxic the modelling world can be, his own daughter is stepping into it as a model today, too…
Nigel admits the toxicity of ANTM environment
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If you grew up on ANTM, you probably remember the show as iconic chaos with a side of “fashion education.”
Watching it through 2026 eyes? It hits differently. The new Netflix docuseries doesn’t just do nostalgia, it revisits moments that feel totally un-airable now, and it asks the uncomfortable question, who was protecting these girls?
Nigel, who was on the core judging panel for years, comes off as someone who thought he was delivering “constructive criticism,” but also admits the format and edit could twist things into something harsher on-screen.
And in episode two, when the doc shows contestant Keenyah Hill being sexually harassed on camera, Nigel basically shrugs it into the “real world” bucket, saying it’s the “reality of the world” and that harassment has “always” been an issue.
That’s where some people are side-eyeing, because the documentary makes clear this wasn’t just “awkward industry stuff.” Keenyah has said she voiced discomfort, yet filming continued, and the footage aired.
Tyra Banks has now apologised for not protecting her.
His daughter is now a model!?
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Now for the part that feels like a plot twist written by reality TV producers, Nigel’s daughter, Jasmine Ines Barker, is modelling.
Not in a “dad posted a cute pic” way, in a real, on-the-radar fashion way. She’s done New York Fashion Week casting, including being selected to represent Private Policy, and even got an early Vogue moment.
Nigel’s been publicly proud, literally framing her career through his own lens in editorials like “Through A Father’s Eyes.”
And if you’re thinking, “Wait, modelling runs in the family?” yes. Nigel’s own mother modelled and he’s shared in the documentary that she supported the family through modelling and performance work after moving to the UK from Sri Lanka.
So how do those two facts live together… Nigel calling out how rough the industry can be, while his daughter steps into it anyway? It’s all very 2026.
Acknowledging that an industry can be toxic and still believing it can be navigated differently with the right support, boundaries, and protections.
Nigel’s said he’s way more into doing “small and meaningful” projects these days, especially portrait photography, which makes sense, seeing as he’s now capturing Jasmine’s career from the closest seat in the house.
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