Tyra Banks achieved supermodel status through years of hard work and compromise; which were the pinnacle keys to success on her hit show, America's Next Top Model. Premiering in 2003, the show has time and time again put contestants against one another in the model race to the finish line (and hopefully a fruitful career).
Without skipping a beat, some form of drama, inspiration, or side-eye moment has occurred on almost every episode of every cycle from bar fights to classic house problems to the casual breakdown sprinkled in every few episodes. Amidst recent years of controversy and problematic behavior on the show getting called out lives some of the most iconic quotes from the creator, Miss Banks herself - both positive and negative.
If Tyra Banks did anything on this show, she got her point across no matter what, even if it meant over the top entrances and shady insults. To introduce a photoshoot geared toward model stereotypes, Tyra came out as the stereotypical perception of herself, the supermodel diva.
With no warning to the contestants, Tyra emerged and disgustingly looked at them yelling, "Who are these young b-----s? I am almost 35, and I don't like young b------s," before throwing a tantrum and storming out. Not often did she use slurs towards the girls and that's why the few moments she did stand out.
Tyra Banks had no shortage of dramatic moments of her own within the show and delivered each one to the utmost extreme. Among these her announcement of the acting challenge in cycle six when she announced she was feeling faint - and then quite literally fainted. For ANTM contestants who were only getting paid $40 a day, this was one of the more unnecessarily traumatic experiences they had to endure.
Though the situation may be slightly more iconic than the quote, she proceeded to jump up and emphasize,“TODAY WE’RE GONNA BE LEARNING ABOUT ACTING.” This scene lives rent free in the heads of so many viewers and fans alike because it's one of the most climactic displays of acting and hysteria seen in the earlier seasons.
Considering cycle 5 took place in 2007, sexuality and sexual orientation was still very much a taboo in normal society, although not so much for the fashion world considering the demographic. Tyra Banks has never edged unto homophobia throughout any of the seasons but she did feel the need to comment on the "level" of a contestants pride.
When contestant Kim Stolz told the panel that she wants to be out because she's proud of being gay Tyra responded,"I think there's a certain thing of being proud. Like, I'm black and proud, you know what I mean? But I'm not walking down the red carpet 'I'm black. I'm black.'" While the point trying to be communicated was a matter of not making one thing your identity or your defining trait, this comment lives among comments that were surprisingly aired.
When the show fast-forwards 16 cycles and arrives at cycle 21, Tyra Banks is now on the flip side with her comments; and reasonably so. Many former contestants at this point had not only spoken about their negative experiences, but now the show had been very social media centered with a lot of public input, requiring more consideration of commentary.
After contestant Denzel was being questioned about his comment of his friends back home "calling him gay," Tyra stood up for the LGBTQIA+ community in her response by saying, "Be proud of this industry and of every single male model; gay, straight, heels, corsets... who gives a f**k?" It's pleasant to see the character growth, even if it may have been a potential saving of face years later.
Among the moments where fans wondered why it was allowed to air lives Tyra and Miss J's critique of cycle 6 contestant, Danielle. When asked if Danielle refused to have her gap closed Tyra expressed, "Do you really think you can have a CoverGirl contract with a gap in your mouth?"
One of the best parts of the show was the judge banter so when Miss J piggybacked off Tyra's comment with his own "she just left the "gap" wide open for another girl." Often times contestants are praised for their unique qualities but this was not one of those times and while it's not ranked as the best episode of that ANTM season, Danielle went on to win the cycle, with a slightly closed gap in her mouth.
Often times race was not a touchy subject on the show when it should have been. Tyra has made the girls do blackface (more than once), has used terms like "ghetto" to describe them and overall has caused lots of controversy with these comments and actions. These awkward moments were some of many that caused tension amongst contestants and judges alike, with prior judge Janice Dickinson listing more issues with the show and working with Miss Banks.
One of the most memorable moments where Tyra caused viewers to do the double take was the very first episode of cycle 4. Upon the first introduction of one of the contestants, Tyra had asked her if she tans and followed it up with, "you lookin' like my cousin, you lookin' a little Negro over there." The comment in itself was uncomfortable but even more so that she had said it to a white girl.
Tyra was always a beacon of critique and advice through the 24 running seasons especially when it came to guiding the girls through the photoshoots. She's made it a point to teach the girls everything about the modeling world, all the tips and tricks and among them lives potentially the most memorable quote and meme to come from the series, Tyra's "Modeling is kind of like acting like a ho, but making it fashion."
This piece of advice along with its visual snippet has been used constantly all over the internet to either mock it or switch it up for the meme's sake. Out of all the "hoochie" and "provocateur" moments on the show, this one is surely Tyra's most influential and iconic.
Tyra's biggest role model is her mother so sometimes, she takes on a motherly role towards certain models. One of those models being second time audition turned contestant, Tiffany. During a bottom two elimination and after several excuses from Tiffany, Tyra just couldn't hold back and angrily screamed, “I have never yelled at a girl like this in my life ... I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you! How dare you! Learn something from this!"
Making it a decent way into the cycle, Tyra's outburst on Tiffany in cycle 4 was hands down, Tyra's most iconic moment and quote on the show. Tyra even went to reuse the line to mock herself in future seasons; acknowledging how hysterical and dramatic the explosion was.
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