Tyra Banks admits to taking America’s Next Top Model ‘too far’ ahead of new documentary

Tyra Banks is opening up about the “very intense” experience of hosting America’s Next Top Model.

The supermodel, 52, appears in the forthcoming Netflix docuseries Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, centered on the complicated legacy of the competition show, which ran from 2003 to 2018.

A trailer released Monday showed the most controversial moments in the series’ history, from models’ drastic makeovers to the demeaning comments made about their bodies by judges. The clip then cuts to Banks speaking about her behavior as the host.

“I knew I went too far,” she said. “It was very, very intense. But you guys were demanding it. So we kept pushing it, more and more and more.”

In another clip of the trailer, former ANTM judge Jay Manuel spoke about working with Banks on the reality series.

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“We were showing the behind-the-scenes of what the fashion world was,” he claimed. “I realized Tyra could do anything for the success of her show.”

Banks teased that she has a lot to share about ANTM, stating in the Netflix series trailer: “I haven’t really said much, but now it’s time.”

The three-part documentary, set to release February 16 on Netflix, “will unpack the inner workings of the show, which became a viral juggernaut with a global audience of over 100 million people at its peak,” according to the streamer.

Along with Banks and Manuel, former ANTM judges J. Alexander and Nigel Barker, and former executive producer Ken Mok appear in the new Netflix series. Also featured are interviews with ANTM winners and contestants, including Whitney Thompson, Giselle Samson, Shannon Stewart, Shandi Sullivan, Dani Evans, and Keenyah Hill.

During its run ANTM aimed to help aspiring models launch their careers, with each season featuring one contestant as the winner. However, the elimination series went on to spark immense controversy after it ended, especially in 2020 when people pointed out questionable segments of the show.

A post on X at the time showed a moment from season six where Banks and the fellow judges pressured contestant Danielle Evans to have dental surgery to close her gap. The tweet prompted other viewers to share examples of “body-shaming” and “bullying” on the show when it was run by Banks, who was then accused of “problematic” behavior.

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Banks responded to the backlash at the time, tweeting: “Been seeing the posts about the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments and I agree with you. Looking back, those were some really off choices.”

The TV personality hosted all 24 seasons of ANTM except season 23, which aired in 2016. At the time, Banks was taking a step back from the show for other projects, and Rita Ora took her place as host.

Last year, the supermodel addressed the longstanding criticism around the modeling series. During the 2025 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards, where she was the first-ever Luminary Spotlight honoree, she claimed she “fought to bring the diversity to that television show at a time when it didn’t exist.” However, she confessed that there were things she did wrong while working on the program.

“Did we get it right? Hell no. I said some dumb s***,” she said during her speech in February 2025. “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.”