Jay Manuel has opened up about his relationship with Tyra Banks and experience on “America’s Next Top Model” along with his departure from the show.
According to TOO FAB, Jay Manuel discussed his most uncomfortable moments on the show and stated he and Tyra Banks “no longer have a relationship to speak on” since moving on as creative director. Banks has recently faced backlash for her comments about Danielle Evans along with problematic statements towards race, body image, and other issues.
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“To be very honest, we really have no relationship to speak of, which is really sad. Our time together on ‘ANTM’ was amazingly productive and, at times, magical. We got to experience being part of a global phenomenon.”
https://t.co/S5izlvqjrt pic.twitter.com/wlf6GdWoZ0
— AB/G (@bibbygregory) May 13, 2020
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While sitting down with Variety, Manuel said he could see both sides when fans criticized Tyra for her actions on the show:
“I do think it’s a little unfair for people to persecute Tyra now, especially because she has already taken heat for her past executive decisions in past years. Consistently, when s–t hit the fan and people wanted to talk about some of the things that were said on the show, we would have another singular EP come forward to claim that all creative decisions were made as the team, and I really wish that were the case, but that just simply is not true,”
The most uncomfortable moment on the show for the former creative director was when the models participated in a “race swap” photoshoot.
“I was so, so, so uncomfortable with this. I was never scripted for my intros or anything, and I didn’t know how I was going to be able to set this up — I was so afraid that I would wear this because I was the creative director, but it was not my idea.”
Tyra has since then apologized for her actions on the show and called them “off-choices.”
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
Manuel said he left the show at Cycle 19 but the media misinterpreted his decision to part ways. He states it was his own decision to leave the show in order to move his career in another direction:
“It was 100% my decision to leave the show, as I was ready to move my career in a different direction, but unfortunately at the time, my departure was misreported to the press, and contractually, I could not speak about leaving the show.”