Jay Manuel claims Tyra Banks replied ‘I am disappointed’ when he quit ANTM

Jay Manuel felt pressured to stay on ANTM amidst strained relation with Tyra Banks after trying to quit

Jay Manuel has claimed that Tyra Banks responded with a blunt three-word message when he told her he wanted to leave America’s Next Top Model.

Speaking in the Netflix series Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, Manuel reflected on his time as creative director on the long-running competition.

He joined the programme in 2005 and became a prominent on-screen figure alongside host Tyra Banks and judges Nigel Barker and J Alexander.

Manuel said the show’s environment had become difficult for him. “[It] was slowly depleting me and chipping away at my soul,” he said. “So it was time to tell Tyra that I wanted to leave the show.”

He explained that he and Banks did not have a “traditional work relationship”, which made it hard for him to share his reasons. “I tortured myself over the decision. I didn’t come to it lightly,” he said.

According to Manuel, he sent Banks an email expressing gratitude for the opportunity while explaining he wanted to move on with his career. He said she replied three days later with: “I am disappointed,” and claimed that after the exchange, “communication just stopped.”

Manuel alleged that Banks would not speak to him when they next met in person, though she later asked his opinion on auditioning models. “But it was just clear I was not allowed to speak to her outside of that,” he said.

He ultimately returned for another season after advice from his attorney, citing fears he “would be blacklisted” in the entertainment industry. Manuel remained with the show for 18 cycles before his contract was not renewed ahead of season 19.

When asked in Reality Check whether she would discuss the situation, Banks said: “I should call Jay. I don’t wanna do this here. But he’s a special man.”