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Netflix’s tell-all docuseries about America’s Next Top Model allowed Tyra Banks and Jay Manuel to finally address their infamous falling out.
Created by Banks, America’s Next Top Model aired across multiple networks from 2003 to 2018, following aspiring models as they competed for the title of “America’s Next Top Model” and a chance at a lucrative modeling career. Manuel, 53, joined America’s Next Top Model in its first cycle in 2003 as the Creative Director. He was featured on every cycle of the show for nine years but ultimately didn’t return — along with Nigel Barker and Miss J. Alexander — after his contract wasn’t renewed for season 19.
Banks, 52, remained on the show as an executive producer but she was briefly replaced as the host. She returned for season 24, the show’s final season before it was canceled on VH1.
Issues behind the scenes ultimately led to Banks and Manuel’s falling out, which he addressed in Netflix’s docuseries Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model. Keep scrolling for the biggest revelations — including where they stand now:
What Initially Led to Tyra Banks and Jay Manuel’s Falling Out?
In the three-part special, Jay Manuel recalled realizing he needed to step away from the show after season 8.
“There was a time when the creative of the show started to shift. We were supposed to be showing the behind the scenes of what the fashion world was — helping change the industry,” he said.. “But the show had evolved in a way I had never expected.”
Manuel “really struggled over some of the things” that happened — including photoshoot concepts such as the “race swapping” idea. “That was something that was slowly depleting me and chipping away at my soul,” he noted. “It was time to tell Tyra I wanted to leave the show.”
While discussing his time on the show, Manuel noted that there was a “version” of him on the show that was “not really” him.
“Tyra would always reinforce, ‘We need to keep it entertaining. We need to keep people watching.’ Of course there were gob smack moments where you watch, and you’re like, ‘Oof,’” he said. “But it was certainly not my place to tell them.”
How Did Jay Manuel Tell Tyra Banks He Was Leaving ‘America’s Next Top Model’?
“Tyra and I weren’t the traditional work relationship when you work in such close proximity and are traveling together. I was afraid of saying the wrong thing. And I definitely did not want to make her upset,” Jay Manuel explained. “I tortured myself over the decision. It did not come lightly. I didn’t discuss it with anyone.”
Miss J Alexander, meanwhile, didn’t realize what Manuel was planning. “He [keeps] everything to his chest,” he explained. “He’s very secretive.”
Manuel wanted to tell Banks personally about his exit, sharing, “I knew that I had to tell her first. So I sent her the email just expressing the utter gratitude for this opportunity and to be able to help her realize I was trying to move on in my own life and career.”
Banks “didn’t respond” for three days before just writing back, “‘I am disappointed.’” After that email, Manuel recalled how “all communication just stopped” before he was pressured into coming back for at least one more season.
Why Did Jay Manuel Return to ‘America’s Next Top Model’?
“There was a warning that strikes the fear of God in you. People talk about being blacklisted. Those words were not used but I had suspected that that’s what it would turn into,” Jay Manuel said in the three-part special. “I didn’t know who to talk to because the person I would always talk to was Tyra. I thought I could fix that.”
How Was Jay Manuel’s Relationship With Tyra Banks When He Returned to ‘America’s Next Top Model’?
Before coming back to film, Jay Manuel hadn’t “spoken” to Tyra Banks.
“I was extremely nervous. I just wanted to [talk to her] real quick [before we started filming]. That was the first time I really realized there was a real problem. She wouldn’t speak with me,” he claimed. “On camera, we learned to play and laugh but it was just clear that I was not allowed to speak with her outside of that.”
Jay Manuel compared the experience on set to “psychological torture.”
“After that first day, I thought there is absolutely no way I’m gonna survive the cycle,” he continued. “I just felt broken.”
What Did Tyra Banks Reveal About Her Falling Out With Jay Manuel?
Producers asked Tyra Banks about her and Jay Manuel, to which she replied, “I prefer … I should call Jay. I don’t want to do this here. But he’s a special man.”
How Long Did Jay Manuel Remain on ‘America’s Next Top Model’?
“My job had changed. I no longer was producing creative. The only thing I was responsible for producing per my contract is the final runway. I was now just on camera talent,” Jay Manuel shared. “I started really paying attention to what was starting to happen behind the scenes. That is where I started to learn the art of storytelling.”
Manuel questioned how authentic the show was, adding, “If there were certain girls that were not performing well on a shoot, I would sometimes be pulled aside and say, ‘OK, with this person we have this story. We need them to go forward at least a couple more episodes.’ Because if the photos are just crappy, it’ll become hard to say, ‘This person deserves to stay in the competition.’”
What Led to Jay Manuel’s Exit From ‘America’s Next Top Model’?
In 2012, America’s Next Top Model experienced a palpable shift after the network head changed. Tyra Banks was forced to hop on a call with the network, at which point she was instructed to fire Miss J Alexander, Jay Manuel and Nigel Baker.
“I remember them saying, ‘We’ve decided we’re gonna go in a completely different direction,’” Manuel recalled. “It was like being slapped across the face and slapped right back. [They compared it to] cutting the fat off the show that was bringing the ratings down.”
Manuel continued: “When I wanted to leave, I wasn’t afforded that. And then I work on the shows from cycles 10 through 18. I made so many concessions. That’s the part that’s the most hurtful.”
Where Do Jay Manuel and Tyra Banks Stand After ‘America’s Next Top Model’?
Jay Manuel and Tyra Banks’ issues intensified when news about his firing was leaked to the public.
“We were going to put out one joint press release, and they said we would all get a quote in this press release,” he recalled. “We see it all the time in television shows, people saying, ‘So and so and so and so have decided to part ways.’ And Tyra, she’s like, ‘We’ll put out in our press release how we’re going to continue to work together.’ So we agreed to that.”
After being robbed of the ability to “move forward in their career with grace,” Manuel, Miss J Alexander and Nigel Baker appeared in an interview addressing the firing where they were asked if they felt “blindsided” by the decision.
“We had to speak very carefully, contractually at the time,” Manuel shared. “There are only certain things you could speak about around the production and what you legally could say.”
Banks also weighed in on how her working relationship with Manuel concluded.
“It was probably some of the hardest news I have ever had to deliver, in my existence,” she said. “I cried myself to sleep that night. You know? They were there from the beginning. They were some of the closest people to me in my life and I had to deliver that news that the deal is up and that it’s over. You can imagine what that feels like.”
She continued: “But bosses have bosses, and the big boss was very clear — there are no sacred cows. And I heard that meaning, ‘You too, Tyra. So pick up the phone and do what I’m telling you to do.’ And the thing is, I don’t believe that they knew that it came from above. No matter how much I was explaining, ‘This was not our decision.’ To this day, I think they think that it was me.”
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