Nigel Barker Reveals Where He Stands With Tyra Banks After ANTM Firing

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Nigel Barker is always happy to see Tyra Banks smizing back at him.

After the recent Netflix documentary Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model came out, the fashion photographer and former judge on ANTM talked about his current relationship with the show’s host.

He shared on the February 17th episode of The Viall Files that he and Tyra remain on good terms, though they don’t talk frequently. He usually connects with her once or twice a year, and their conversations are always friendly.

The 53-year-old mentioned that even though he, along with Miss J Alexander and Jay Manuel, was unexpectedly let go from the show after season 18, he and the supermodel haven’t revisited the past in their recent conversations.

From what I’ve seen, she avoids direct conflict. And honestly, leaving the show was really tough for me. I was upset about how it was handled at the time.

“But at the same time,” Nigel noted, “I’m a big boy and life goes on.”

The model, who has two children with his wife Cristen Barker, previously explained his departure from the show in 2013. He said he didn’t hold any resentment towards Tyra Banks, 52, because of the changes that led to his exit.

He explained to Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live that the story wasn’t true. He said he hadn’t been asked to leave, he’d simply been fired.

He briefly admitted to being a little upset about it, but he got over it quickly when he accepted a new job.

He explained that he received a call from Oxygen a week later offering him the hosting job for The Face. He admitted to initially feeling resentful, but said he’s moved past it now.

Nigel and Tyra weren’t the only former contestants featured in the Reality Check documentary. Miss J also shared her story, including a touching moment when Nigel and Jay visited her in the hospital after she suffered a stroke in 2022 and was in a coma for several weeks.

Thinking about our time working on the show together just hit me really hard, and I honestly burst into tears. I miss everyone so much, it’s overwhelming.

The runway coach shared that Tyra reached out after the health issue, but they haven’t seen each other in person yet.

“Not yet,” said Miss J, who is 67. “She just texted me, wanting to visit, but I told her not yet.”

Want to stay up-to-date with all the latest news and behind-the-scenes stories from Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model? Then keep reading!

Shandi Sullivan, a finalist on Cycle 2 of America’s Next Top Model, was shown on a 2004 episode of the show getting intimate with a male model while she had a boyfriend. The episode, titled “The Girl Who Cheated,” showed footage filmed at the contestants’ house in Milan. In a 2026 Netflix documentary called Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, Shandi explained she had been very drunk and doesn’t remember much of what happened, and believes the show’s producers should have stepped in.

Shandi explained in the show that she believes someone should have intervened after the incident in the hot tub, saying, ‘They should have realized it had gone too far and pulled her out of the situation.’

During the same episode of America’s Next Top Model, Shandi broke down in tears and called her boyfriend to admit she had been unfaithful. She also reached out to a model she’d met in Milan to ask if he had any sexually transmitted diseases.

As a longtime fan, I always loved hearing Tyra’s insights, and when she talked about Shandi on Reality Check, it was really interesting. She said she remembered Shandi’s story, but explained that she doesn’t usually get involved in the production side of things, so it was a tough subject for her to discuss.

Oh my gosh, Ken Mok, the EP, explained it in the documentary and it totally makes sense now! He said they really wanted Top Model to feel real, like a documentary. They told the girls right from the start that cameras would be following them all the time – 24/7! Everything was being filmed, the amazing moments, the drama, everything in between… it was just insane to think about how exposed they were!

Tyra clarified that while she wasn’t in charge of the overall storyline – that was Ken Mok’s role – she did become highly skilled at editing. She emphasized that the show didn’t air everything that was filmed.

TopMob News reached out to Tyra and Ken for comment but did not hear back.

As part of the show’s makeover, both the winner of Cycle 6, Danielle “Dani” Evans, and the runner-up, Joanie Dodds, received dental work.

Joanie spent the entire night at the dentist, where she had four teeth pulled. As she explained in the Netflix documentary, though, it felt like a positive experience. She’d always been insecure about her teeth, so getting them fixed felt like a stroke of good luck.

Dani initially wasn’t interested in getting the gap between her front teeth closed, because she liked her smile. When Tyra asked her on America’s Next Top Model if she thought she could still be a successful model with the gap, she confidently said yes.

After speaking with her mother, who warned her she might be eliminated if she didn’t listen to Tyra, Dani explained that she chose to follow the advice and was able to stay on the show.

Tyra admitted in her book, Reality Check, that she regretted advising Dani to change her teeth and had apologized. However, she explained that back in 2006, she felt stuck in a difficult situation.

Tyra Banks recalls agents telling her she wouldn’t succeed because of her teeth. She admits she could have simply accepted their opinions, but now realizes it’s easy to see what she should have done in retrospect.

Dani strongly disagreed with Tyra’s comment in the documentary, saying, “That’s completely untrue. Getting my gap closed hasn’t helped my career at all. You were aware of the impact you were creating for the show.”

During the eighth cycle of the show, the models participated in a photoshoot with a disturbing theme: they were styled to look like crime victims, even appearing deceased. Dionne Walters, whose mother was a victim of gun violence and left paralyzed, was specifically asked to portray a character who had been shot.

She explained in Reality Check that she believed people were trying to provoke an emotional collapse from her, hoping to see her fall apart. She was relieved, however, that they didn’t get the reaction they were looking for.

Ken admitted he was completely at fault for the shooting, calling it a “mistake” in his statement. He now realizes it glorified violence, describing it as “crazy” and saying, in hindsight, “I was an idiot.”

In the documentary, photo shoot director Jay Manuel revealed he struggled significantly with a shoot for a Got Milk? campaign in Cycle 4, where contestants swapped racial roles. He even requested to be removed from working on that specific part of the show.

In his book, Reality Check, Jay recounted Tyra telling him, “I’ll deal with this on camera with the contestants, you just focus on your work.” He realized his involvement was becoming restricted, but the photoshoot would proceed no matter what he did.

Tyra shared that she initially didn’t realize her actions would be seen as controversial. She explained she believed she was celebrating the beauty of people of color, but the public reacted with shock and criticism when it was released, making her realize she’d misjudged the situation.

And thinking about it now, she added, “I understand 100 percent why” it was an issue.

Looking back, former contestant Keenyah Hill believes it wasn’t random that she received the “gluttony” card during a photo shoot based on the Seven Deadly Sins. She also feels it was significant that she was assigned to be the elephant when the finalists had to pose as animals on a safari shoot in South Africa.

During her time on America’s Next Top Model, Keenyah’s fellow contestants noticed she was often eating, and the judges suggested she pay attention to her weight.

Keenyah explained in her book, Reality Check, that realizing that would be the whole story felt deeply unfair and unpleasant.

She explained that a video segment had been manipulated to appear as though she’d eaten three bagels, when in reality it was just one.

Tyra Banks explained that when discussing weight on America’s Next Top Model, her intention was to celebrate diverse beauty. However, she also noted that the fashion industry at the time had very limited standards of beauty, and the show operated within those constraints.

Keenyah explained in her book, Reality Check, that criticizing her body wasn’t the only problem during production; it continued to be an issue.

During a photoshoot in South Africa, the model alleged that one of her male co-stars was making unwanted advances. She said he was scantily clad – wearing only a loincloth – and was inappropriately touching and grabbing her. Keenyah recalled thinking about how Tyra Banks would handle the situation, and decided she would politely but firmly stop the shoot and express her discomfort.

But when she did that, as seen on ANTM, nothing happened.

Later in the show, Tyra told Keenyah she needed to learn how to advocate for herself without creating unnecessary drama or conflict.

Tyra said on Reality Check that she “was trying to empower” Keenyah at the time.

“I thought that was the best advice,” the 52-year-old said, “but it should have been, ‘Stop, down,’ and that’s what would happen today. We now all understand the protections that women need.” Looking at the camera, Tyra added, ” So I say to Keenyah, Booboo, I am so sorry, none of us knew, network executives didn’t know. And I did the best that I could at that time, but she deserved more. She did.”

In her book Reality Check, Tyra Banks described a moment during Cycle 4 when she became frustrated with Tiffany Richardson. Richardson wasn’t taking a challenge—reading from a teleprompter—seriously and wanted to quit, which upset Banks.

Tyra explained she simply wanted to help this woman transform her life. She believed the woman had the potential to be a truly successful supermodel, but she was worried about her losing confidence and giving up—not just on the competition, but on her dreams in general.

So commenced her “We were all rooting for you!” outburst at judges’ table.

In the documentary, Tyra reflected on a past situation, admitting she’d overreacted and gone too far. She explained that the issue resonated deeply with her personal experiences as a Black woman, but she acknowledged that her response had been excessive.

According to a document Jay shared, Tyra responded with a simple “I am disappointed” after he emailed her saying he was ready to leave the show following Cycle 8.

After that email conversation, they just stopped talking, Jay explained. He felt it could have been a chance to really connect and discuss things, but it never happened.

Instead, Jay continued, he was asked to return for Cycle 9 and he was too afraid not to say yes.

He mentioned people often talk about being blacklisted, and while that specific term wasn’t used in his situation, he felt that’s where things were heading.

Once filming for Cycle 9 started, Jay explained that Tyra only talked to him when cameras were rolling.

Jay explained that while filming, they had fun and connected, but he wasn’t permitted to communicate with her off-camera.

When asked about Jay, Tyra didn’t want to discuss it publicly. “I need to talk to Jay directly,” she explained. “This isn’t something I want to get into here. He’s a really good person.”

Whitney Thompson, the winner of Cycle 10 of America’s Next Top Model, revealed in a documentary that she was often given clothes that didn’t fit—sometimes they had to be altered by cutting them open. At 5-foot-10 and a size 6, Thompson was the first and only plus-size model to win the competition, and she described the experience of constantly being reminded she wasn’t a standard sample size as “demeaning.”

Whitney explained that while her family could have found clothes that fit her, they deliberately didn’t, and she coped with it as best she could. She added that showing any vulnerability would make her an easy target.

Winning the competition felt huge,” the Florida native explained. “Then I signed with Elite Model Management, but they didn’t have a division for plus-size models at the time. I really had to advocate for myself, and eventually, I became one of the first plus-size models to work with a lot of major brands.

Jay explained that the judges sometimes chose photos to display not because they were the best, but because they could find something to criticize – like a picture where the model’s armpit hair was visible.

He also mentioned being asked to intentionally help weaker contestants, specifically those with compelling storylines, to create the illusion they were still competitive.

Jay explained that if the photos aren’t good quality, it will be difficult to justify keeping the person in the competition.

Nigel admitted in the document that they hadn’t always made the correct decisions. He acknowledged that they sometimes removed the wrong person, but accepted that mistakes happen.

Watching the show, Tyra really hit a nerve with me when she said something along the lines of, ‘We probably should have made it clearer that not everyone is destined to become a star.’ It felt so honest and real, and I think it’s a really important point – not everyone can make it, and that’s okay.

Jay explained that after being eliminated, contestants were filmed packing their belongings, leaving the apartment, and then a production assistant would take them to a hotel.

Let me tell you, from what I’ve heard from people who’ve been through it, being on these shows is intense. You’re essentially sequestered until the season wraps – no quick calls home to vent or share news, especially if you’ve been eliminated. They really keep you under wraps until everything is said and done, and that includes not being able to immediately reach out to family and friends. It’s a huge emotional isolation period.

Watching the documentary, I really felt for the contestants, but Miss J – J. Alexander – put it so bluntly. He said, and it stuck with me, that the fashion industry – and life, really – is incredibly competitive. He explained that if you’re not tough, the world will quickly take advantage of you and discard you without a second thought.

After leaving the show, it’s a big adjustment,” explained Dionne from Cycle 8, who placed fourth. “You suddenly have to face real life and decide what’s next – whether to pursue modeling, maybe move to New York – but there’s no help or advice. You’re completely on your own to figure things out.”

Jay remained on the show until Cycle 18 in 2012, when he, Miss J, and Nigel were all let go.

In the documentary, Ken and Tyra remembered network executives telling them that the show needed to evolve.

Tyra explained she was instructed that everything was open for discussion, meaning she had to make some very difficult decisions and part with things she deeply cared about – what she called ‘three of my hearts’.

Oh my god, when Nigel talked about getting let go, it just broke my heart! He said it was “really tough” and even a little “mercenary,” which, honestly, felt so him – like he knew it was business, but it still hurt. He even joked they were “eliminated” too, just like the contestants! And Jay… poor Jay said it felt like being “slapped across the face,” twice! He explained he’d made so many sacrifices years ago when he first signed on, and it all just felt… unfair. I’m seriously devastated for both of them, they gave so much to the show!

Jay explained that he, Nigel, and Miss J were promised a press release with quotes explaining their departures from America’s Next Top Model. However, Page Six unexpectedly published the news of their firings first.

Nigel admitted that was likely his lowest moment. Jay followed up, questioning why those who had been with the show from the beginning weren’t allowed to leave with dignity, suggesting it was a conscious decision.

Tyra shared in the documentary that telling the final three contestants they didn’t win was the most difficult thing she’d ever had to do, and she was so upset she cried herself to sleep that night.

She also believes Jay, Miss J, and Nigel remained unconvinced that the order originated from a higher authority, despite her and Ken’s explanations.

J. Alexander revealed in his book, Reality Check, that he was in a coma for five weeks following a stroke on December 27, 2022. Although he’s recovered his speech, he now uses a wheelchair to get around.

The 67-year-old shared in a documentary that after spending time teaching AI models how to walk, he’s now facing his own challenge with walking. He’s determined to regain his ability and is confident he’ll be back on his feet soon, saying his journey isn’t over yet.

He mentioned that Jay and Nigel came to see him while he was in the hospital, and Nigel later wondered if Jay even wanted him to see him like that. The two of them connected again more recently while filming the Netflix documentary.

Miss J mentioned Tyra still hadn’t come by. She’d sent Tyra a text saying she was planning to visit, but he confirmed she hadn’t arrived yet.

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2026-02-18 01:49