Tyra Banks reflects on the most controversial moments from America’s Next Top Model in new docuseries; watch
For years, America’s Next Top Model defined an era of television. It wasn’t just a competition, it was a cultural phenomenon that shaped early 2000s reality TV. From emotional makeovers to dramatic eliminations, the show had millions glued to their screens for over a decade. And now, Netflix’s upcoming docuseries Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model promises to uncover what really went on behind the scenes.
“We kept pushing…”
At the heart of it all was Tyra Banks, the supermodel who, though not present in every one of the show’s 24 seasons, defined much of its identity. Now 52, Tyra features in the new documentary, looking back on the show’s legacy and addressing its most controversial moments.
“I knew I went too far. It was very, very intense, but you guys were demanding it, so we kept pushing it, more and more and more,” Tyra admits in the trailer, as clips from some of the show’s most infamous moments flash by.
About Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model
Produced by EverWonder Studio and Wise Child Studios, and directed by Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan, the three-part Netflix series features exclusive interviews with former contestants, judges, and producers. It aims to tell the untold story of how ANTM became both a groundbreaking and deeply polarising show.
Over the past few years, America’s Next Top Model has faced growing criticism for problematic challenges and commentary on contestants’ bodies, including a now-infamous photoshoot where participants were asked to embody races and ethnicities outside their own. While the show was praised for promoting diversity at a time when the fashion industry was far less inclusive, some moments have since aged poorly under modern scrutiny.
“Over 20 years ago I created a show…”
Tyra, who has previously addressed the controversy, spoke about the show’s complicated legacy while accepting the Luminary Spotlight honor at the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards in February 2025. “Over 20 years ago I created a show called America’s Next Top Model,” Banks said. “And you guys have no idea how hard we fought to bring the diversity to that television show at a time when it didn’t exist; to show different beauties at a time when the world was like, ‘What? You casting that?’ A time when people in the fashion industry were telling me, ‘You putting the girls from the hood on your show?’” she said.
She continued, “I was like, ‘Why can the girl from the trailer park become a supermodel but the girl that’s chilin’ in the park in the hood can’t?’ And we fought and we struggled and we made it happen.”
“Did we get it right? Hell no. I said some dumb s–t,” she added, drawing laughter from the crowd. “But I refuse to have my legacy be about some stuff linked together on the Internet when there were 24 cycles of changing the world. And I am so excited that I, and so many of us, have opened that door for others to follow.”
With contributions from former judges Nigel Barker, J. Alexander, Jay Manuel, and several past contestants, the series promises a raw look at how ANTM evolved and where it went wrong. Catch the show on Netflix on February 16.
