There’s a lot to take in from the America’s Next Top Model documentary, from the treatment of contestants like Shandi Sullivan to revelations about what was really going on behind the judges’ panel. Many viewers are particularly curious about the story behind Tyra Banks and Jay Manuel. On screen, the two were everyone’s favourite besties, bantering together and finishing each other’s sentences.
But the documentary reveals that all was not as it seemed, and that the friendship crashed and burned about halfway through Jay’s time on the show. Ultimately, Jay left ANTM — and not on his own terms.
Here’s everything we know about the fallout between Tyra Banks and Jay Manuel.
When did Tyra Banks and Jay Manuel start working together?
Long before the pair became onscreen besties, they were thriving off-screen. Jay was working as the supermodel’s makeup artist, and the two became close friends. He had built an impressive career as a makeup artist and stylist, working with Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Victoria’s Secret, Revlon and CoverGirl.
When Tyra launched America’s Next Top Model, Jay — alongside Tyra’s runway coach, Miss J — was offered a role on the show as creative director and judge. He had been there from the very first cycle in 2003.
"I feel like my work is not done. You have no idea what we have planned for Cycle 25."
What was their friendship like?
The pair seemed extremely close, frequently spotted together off camera and cracking jokes on camera.
Speaking to Reality Check, Jay said he considered himself “besties” with Tyra, adding, “Tyra and I weren’t a traditional work relationship. You work in such close proximity, and you’re travelling together. It becomes like a relationship.”
What happened between Jay and Tyra on ANTM?
Jay began struggling with the show during Cycle 4 — the season that featured the now-infamous “race swapping” photoshoot.
Speaking on Reality Check, Jay revealed that his parents are both from South Africa and grew up during apartheid, which left him feeling “uncomfortable” with the concept of the shoot. He also addressed it in a 2020 interview with Variety, saying, “I was so, so, so uncomfortable with this. I was so afraid that I would wear this because I was the creative director, but it was not my idea. That race-swapped layer was added in.”
After suffering a stroke in 2022, the runway coach has been on the mend.
Jay has said that around Cycle 3 or 4, he and Tyra made a pact to always come to each other first if there were issues. He recalled sending a “short, beautiful email” to the supermodel towards the end of Cycle 9. “By then, I had procured a contract with E! as a correspondent, and I was hosting another show on Style Network,” he told Netflix’s Tudum.
However, Tyra’s reply came three days later. “I remember getting the email, and my heart went into my throat when I saw her name come up,” he said. “The email had no salutation — nothing. It just said, ‘I am disappointed.’ That’s it. And then she never spoke to me again.”
Later, while on holiday in St Lucia, Jay claimed he received an “urgent note” from his attorney. He alleged that ANTM was asking him to sign on for one more cycle. “There was a warning that strikes the fear of God in you. People talk about being blacklisted. Those words were not used, but I suspected that’s what it would turn into. I didn’t know who to talk to, because the person I would always talk to was Tyra.”
After returning to the show, Jay said the dynamic had shifted. While he and Tyra learned to “play and laugh” on camera, there was no contact outside of that.
Was Jay really ‘sacked’ from ANTM by Tyra Banks?
Despite being unhappy, Jay continued working on ANTM for nine cycles after his initial attempt to leave.
In April 2012, it was decided that significant changes would be made to America’s Next Top Model, starting with the firing of judges Jay, Miss J. Alexander and Nigel Barker. “Ratings are down, we’re cutting the fact off the show that bringing ratings down,” Jay said, adding that the implication was that it was the trio who were responsible.
While it was initially agreed that a joint statement would announce the trio’s departure, the news of their firing was reportedly leaked to Page Six. Jay said this was the “most hurtful” part, explaining: “When I wanted to leave, I wasn’t afforded that […] The way we ran confidentiality on that show, there is no leak to Page Six. Anyone can assume where that came from. You put that out in a way that we can’t undo. That’s the double slap. That’s the part you have to live with.”
“It was very deliberate. I’d heard them say on set many times, ‘What do we gotta do to create drama?’ We were going to be the drama.”
Speaking about Jay, Nigel and Miss J’s departure, Tyra insisted that the contract decisions were never hers. “I cried myself to sleep that night,” she said. “But bosses have bosses, and the big boss was very clear: ‘There are no sacred cows.’ And I heard that meaning, ‘You too, Tyra. So pick up the phone and do what I’m telling you to do.’”
Tyra Banks' infamous “I was rooting for you!” tirade is tame, at this point.
Are Jay and Tyra friends again now?
Jay firmly believes the decision to fire him came from Tyra. He told cameras, “[Tyra] would do anything for the success of her show.”
During the Netflix documentary, Tyra was asked whether she could talk about what happened between her and Jay. She responded, “Nah. I’d prefer… Yeah, I should call Jay. I don’t wanna do this here. But yeah, he’s a special man.”
Did Tyra call Jay after filming? Not according to him.
“We shot this a year ago,” Jay told Tudum. “Do you think my phone rang? No. And I don’t think it’s going to.”
