‘America’s Next Top Model’: Jay Manuel Shares Tyra Banks Friendship Update After Falling Out
Jay Manuel reveals his fallout with Tyra Banks was driven by network decisions and recent talks hint at a thaw in their relationship, featured in Netflix's documentary.
- On February 16, 2026, Jay Manuel said he had a 'really nice conversation' with Tyra Banks and the documentary is streaming on Netflix now.
- Manuel says the split stemmed from network decisions and a damaging 'leak' as a phone call told judges their time was over just before the media 'leak', and his thank-you email to Banks was followed by silence.
- Banks brought Jay Manuel onto the series in 2003 after he worked with her as a makeup artist, and Manuel returned for cycle 9 at the network's request despite calling it "torture".
- While Banks declined to address their fallout in the documentary, Manuel says he is in a healed place and remains very open to talking to Banks if she wants to reconnect, according to PEOPLE.
- The Netflix documentary revisits controversies like pressure on contestants to undergo dental work and race-swapping photoshoots, with Banks hinting at a Cycle 25 revival.
52 Articles
52 Articles
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Where Do Jay Manuel & Tyra Banks Stand Today? He Reveals If They’ve Spoken After ‘Reality Check’ Debut | Just Jared: Celebrity News and Gossip
Amid the debut of Netflix’s new docu-series Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, you may be wondering where Tyra Banks and Jay Manuel stand today. If you don’t know, they worked together when America’s Next Top Model launched in 2003. He eventually decided that he wanted to leave after the show’s 8th cycle. “I didn’t like what the show was becoming,” Jay said in the doc. “It was chipping away at my soul” He says he sent Tyra an email …
Jay Manuel 'Very Open' To Speaking With Tyra Banks After 'ANTM' Fallout
MEGAJay Manuel might still feel the sting from his fallout with Tyra Banks, but the former creative director remains open to moving forward with the iconic supermodel. In the new Netflix documentary, "Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model," Manuel opened up about the behind-the-scenes drama that occurred in his relationship with Banks, implying that their feud almost had him blacklisted. In the documentary, Tyra Banks seemed upset about…
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