Former ANTM Judge Jay Manuel on Tyra Banks: ‘We Really Have No Relationship’

*Makeup artist Jay Manuel is speaking out about his relationship with Tyra Banks since stepping away from “America’s Next Top Model” in 2012.

Manuel worked for 18 seasons as the creative director on the show, and in a recent interview with Variety, he admits he hasn’t maintained a close relationship with Banks, who served as host and executive producer, per PEOPLE. 

“Over the past few years, we’ve emailed,” Manuel said of the former supermodel. “To be very honest, we really have no relationship to speak of, which is really sad.”

He remains, however, quite fond of his time on the competitive reality TV show.

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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. Appreciate your honest feedback and am sending so much love and virtual hugs. ❤️

— Tyra Banks (@tyrabanks) May 9, 2020

“Our time together on ANTM was amazingly productive and, at times, magical,” he explained. “We got to experience being part of a global phenomenon.”

He also addressed the latest heat that Tyra caught over old ANTM clips that resurfaced recently showing her toxic attitude towards several contestants.

“I do think it’s a little unfair for people to persecute Tyra now, especially because she has already taken heat for her past executive decisions in past years,” Manuel said. “However, I can’t really defend her either because when ratings were high and things were great, she remained a clear figurehead, because it was her show.”

He continued, “Consistently, when s–t hit the fan and people wanted to talk about some of the things that were said on the show, we would have another singular EP come forward to claim that all creative decisions were made as the team, and I really wish that were the case, but that just simply is not true.”

Banks responded to her critics on Twitter, agreeing that some of her comments were “really off choices.”

Manuel is currently working on a book inspired by his ANTM experience titled “The Wig, The Bitch & The Meltdown,” set to drop Aug. 3.

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