Tyra Banks, ‘I Am Disappointed’ in You

On Monday evening, the sound of a million millennials clicking “play” on their smart TV reverberated across the nation as we all sat to watch Netflix’s highly anticipated America’s Next Top Model documentary. Comprised of three episodes that were as bingeable as a cycle of ANTM itself, the doc was billed as an exploration of the show, its impact, and some of its most cringeworthy and downright disturbing moments.

Questions buzzed from the moment it was announced. Would Tyra Banks take accountability for some of the show’s destructive choices? (Sometimes. A little. When it suited her.) How did the former contestants feel about being on the show? (Decidedly mixed.) And would we finally get the answer to the question of what happened between former besties Jay Manuel (aka Mr. Jay) and Tyra? 

Sort of. 

While Tyra flat-out refuses to discuss the fallout between herself and her former friend, Manuel is more than happy to detail his side of the story for the cameras. As we all remember, Mr. Jay was part of the original judging panel of ANTM and served as the creative director behind the show’s iconic and sometimes controversial photo shoots—like the now infamous “race swapping” challenge from Cycle 4.

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In the doc, Mauel says that he tried to excuse himself from the episode, citing his background as the child of South Africans who grew up during apartheid. “I first asked to be excused from the photo shoot, and Tyra said to me, ‘I will handle this on camera with the girls at judging, just go and do your job,’” he said, noting how that was the moment he realized, “[His] role was starting to have limitations.” 

Ultimately, he’d stay on for another four cycles before attempting to leave the show on his own terms before cycle eight. It was at this point that Jay, according to Jay, sent Tyra a long email detailing his decision to quit the show, only to receive an email from his former best friend three days later that was just three words long. 

“I am disappointed,” she allegedly wrote. And that’s a woman who knows how to make some great TV. 

Ultimately, Jay came back to the show, but when he returned, Tyra had turned icy. According to Manuel, Tyra wouldn’t speak to him off camera, and it was clear that the close friendship they’d once enjoyed was over. Jay would ultimately stay on the show until cycle 18, when he, fashion photographer Nigel Barker, and runway coach Miss Jay were all let go from the show—a decision Tyra claims she had nothing to do with. 

In 2020, Jay would go on to write a novel inspired by the show called The Wig, The Bitch, & the Meltdown, which, if you can believe, Tyra did not love.  

So what does Tyra have to say about Jay’s recollection of events? As previously mentioned, when asked to comment on the situation, Tyra told the Netflix crew she didn’t want to discuss the fallout with Jay, saying only, “I should call Jay. I don’t want to do this here. But he’s a special man.” 

No tea from Tyra herself? 

I am disappointed. 

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