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Top Model’ Doc Tops Netflix as New Voices Defend Tyra Banks and Old Questions Resurface

Former contestants publicly push back on the harshest critiques after the series’ release, with producers emphasizing that Banks did not control the edit.

Overview

  • The three-part Netflix series, released Feb. 16, climbed to No. 1 on the U.S. TV chart, renewing scrutiny of America’s Next Top Model.
  • Interviews with Tyra Banks, executive producer Ken Mok, judges and alumni revisit allegations of harmful production tactics, including racially insensitive shoots, body-shaming and a contestant’s on-camera sexual assault claim.
  • Producers say Banks is not a producer on the docuseries and had no editorial control, according to interviews about the project’s making.
  • A former CW executive disputes Banks’ account of being forced to dismiss longtime judges J. Alexander, Jay Manuel and Nigel Barker after Cycle 18.
  • New reactions include public defenses of Banks from season one winner Adrianne Curry and former contestants Jaslene González and Isis King, even as broader debates over accountability continue.