Supermodel Tyra Banks may have once ruled the fashion world, strutting on famous runways and appearing on magazine covers, but her true achievement came when she became a part of the reality TV show, America’s Next Top Model.
Banks became a powerful TV personality and one of the most recognizable faces in reality TV following her role in the competition series, which ran for 24 cycles between 2003 and 2018. However, while the show became a blessing, it also acted as a curse for the model.
It’s particularly because of America’s Next Top Model that the 52-year-old star still receives strong criticism. According to multiple reports, many viewers and former contestants allege that Banks crossed the line several times during her tenure on the show.
As she was the host, judge and executive producer of the show, people believed she should have taken more responsibility for what happened on screen. According to The List, the controversy surrounding her early to mid 2000s show grew deeper in 2025 when Banks appeared in the Netflix documentary series Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.
The documentary looked back at the most shocking moments from the reality show, rekindling the debate surrounding Banks, and her comments aggravated the situation further. One particular moment that fans recalled was Banks’ explosive confrontation with a contestant named Tiffany Richardson, during Season 4.
As Richardson failed to continue her appearance on the show and was on the verge of her exit, Banks started criticizing the aspiring model. She then accused the contestant of not taking the competition seriously.
“Tiffany, I’m extremely disappointed in you. This is a joke to you… This is serious to these girls, and it should be serious to you,” Banks shouted. “I have never in my life yelled at a girl like this! When my mother yells like this, it’s because she loves me! I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you!” she added.
“Tyra really scared all of us.”
Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model reveals what really happened after the “We Were All Rooting For You” explosion. Now on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/pxLYDz8oi2
— Netflix (@netflix) February 16, 2026
While this became an example of how contestants were sometimes treated harshly on the show, Banks’ yet another controversial move showed how she had tasked the participants with posing as homeless people. During the shoot, models posed as homeless people while standing next to real homeless women.
The concept not only seemed insensitive and exploitative to viewers, but even the crew admitted some ideas went too far. While the idea originally came from an episode of the talk show, The Tyra Banks Show, photographer and judge Nigel Barker confessed that certain creative choices were “wrong”.
According to Grazia, Barker said, “There were some ideas that were wrong and were not good to have and were silly. Sometimes creative would come up, where you’re just like ‘Oof, wow. Okay. Well, we’ve got to work with this now’.”
Throughout the reality TV show, Banks was not only criticized for taking controversial steps, but also accused of turning models’ personal crises into entertainment. During Season 2, Banks filmed a former contestant Shandi Sullivan’s cheating confession, and turned it into a major storyline.
Jay Manuel is calling out Tyra Banks’ claims in Netflix’s ‘Reality Check’ that she wasn’t involved in shaping ‘America’s Next Top Model’ contestant Shandi Sullivan’s “cheating scandal” storyline. pic.twitter.com/TtdEluTQQp
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) February 19, 2026
Across several episodes, she urged model Joanie Dodds to have dental work done, and even pushed winner Danielle Evans to close the gap in her teeth.
However, when Evans hesitated, the 52-year-old model questioned whether she could become a CoverGirl model. Viewers also recalled how Banks organized an alleged racially insensitive photo shoot.
Further, Banks also faced criticism for her comments toward the openly gay contestant Kim Stolz. Instead of encouraging Stolz to embrace her true self, Banks reportedly asked her not to focus too much on publicly expressing her sexuality.
According to Metro, after Stolz said, “I want to be out. I’m gay, and I’m really proud of it,” Banks replied, “I think there’s a certain thing of being proud. Like, I’m Black and proud. But I’m not walking down the red carpet like, ‘I’m Black, I’m Black’.”
Deadline reported that Banks acknowledged that some of her past moments were “off choices,” in her now-deleted tweet. But that doesn’t seem enough for people who believe her responses went too far.
As these moments in the legacy of America’s Next Top Model remain complicated, there is no denying that the show has had a huge cultural impact not just on fans and contestants, but also on Banks’ life. It helped launch her onscreen career and changed the overall reality TV landscape.
