Tyra Banks Just Responded To Negative Criticism Over Problematic Moments In "America's Next Top Model"
"I went on my talkshow and did an entire segment — what we did wrong — and we apologised for it. But not everybody saw that."
Tyra Banks has responded to criticism over problematic moments from America's Next Top Model after being presented with clips from the show in a recent interview.
Over the last few weeks, Tyra has faced immense backlash over past clips that resurfaced online, including multiple scenes that involved blackface.
Wait wait wait. We must talk about this as well. Tyra was out here normalizing Blackface. How is this woman not cancelled 😂😂 #ANTM
Another clip that was widely criticised saw Tyra ridicule a contestant for not choosing to close the gap in her teeth after a trip to the dentist that had been organised by the show.
Earlier this month, with the backlash hard to ignore, Tyra chimed in on the drama and said that she agreed with the criticism, calling the resurfaced clips "really off choices".
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. ❤️
However, some thought that the tweet didn't count as a "sincere" or "fully-fledged" apology and urged Tyra to take accountability for her part in the decisions.
Now, in a video interview with Entertainment Tonight, Tyra was asked for her opinion on the clips and how she felt watching them back now.
After seeing a challenge that included blackface, Tyra revealed that she had in fact addressed the issue at the time on her talkshow but that not everybody had seen it.
"I apologised for it, 'cause we put it out and even me just watching it after, I was like, 'Ooh, this ain't right,'" she said.
She later added: "I went on my talkshow and did an entire segment — what we did wrong — and we apologised for it. But not everybody saw that."
Speaking on her show at the time, Tyra said she apologised for "any offence" that may have been caused by the challenge.
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She added: "It's my number one passion in my life to stretch the definition of beauty. I listen to many heartbreaking stories of women who thought they would be happier if they looked different. I want every girl to appreciate the skin she's in."
Explaining her decision to apologise at the time, Tyra said that she didn't want to give other people a chance to use blackface in a "negative" way.
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"We felt like our skin's beautiful, let's paint the world our colour," she said. "Then we saw it and we were like, 'Oh no, this excuses other people to do this in a negative way.'"
When asked about the teeth-gap incident, Tyra admitted that she "cringes" watching it back now but, again, said that she'd already apologised, this time in her 2018 book, Perfect Is Boring.
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"When I look back at that episode, I cringe, and I cringe [at] it through the eyes of today," Tyra explained. "I wrote a book, I talked about this, and apologised and said, 'You know what, I shouldn't have done that.' But I felt the need to apologise again because not everybody saw that."
Tyra also went on to say that her "mission" to make sure models from the show got booked for jobs sometimes clouded her judgement and that she'd had to remind herself of what was actually important.
"I also have this mission to get the models as much work as possible," she said. "At times, this desire to make sure that my girls got work made me forget my mission of why I get up every single day, which is more important than any damn magazine cover."