ANTM’s Nigel Barker Said He Is ‘Still Friendly’ With Tyra Banks Despite His Firing
Nigel Barker spent years working with Tyra Banks as a judge on America’s Next Top Model. The photographer felt hurt when he was fired from the show, but it stung even more after news leaked in the press. While he felt Banks had betrayed him, in the years since then, he has reestablished a friendlier relationship with her. He said he still speaks to her every so often.
Nigel Barker said he is still on good terms with Tyra Banks
Some of the former judges on America’s Next Top Model are no longer on speaking terms with Banks. This is not the case with Barker.
“Tyra and I are still friendly,” he said on The Viall Files. “I don’t speak to her often. I normally speak to her once or twice a year… it’s always been very cordial.”
He said they steer clear of discussing his dismissal from the reality series when they speak. She doesn’t like confrontation, and she knows his firing hurt him.
“She doesn’t like that kind of confrontation, as for what I’ve experienced,” he explained. “And yeah, there were some hairy times — when I left the show, I was definitely hurt at the time. I thought it was not handled well by the show.”
Still, he said he has been able to let go of that past hurt.
“But at the same time,” he said, “I’m a big boy and life goes on.”
Nigel Barker said he initially felt betrayed by Tyra Banks after his firing
After cycle 18 of ANTM, Barker, Miss J Alexander, and Jay Manuel were all fired from the show. In the docuseries Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, the former judges said they agreed to put out a press release saying they would continue to work with Banks in the future.
Ultimately, though, a story leaked to Page Six that said they were fired. They believe this was intentional and said this was the worst part about losing their jobs.
“That’s the part you have to live with,” Barker said on the docuseries Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model. “That was probably the lowest point for me.”
He said he felt as though his longtime family had betrayed him
“It was difficult because I didn’t have a backup plan at that point, because I had been on Top Model for 17 seasons and I had been really in the show, kind of growing up with my family on America’s Next Top Model,” he explained, adding, “It was disappointing and I, we felt a little bit betrayed.”
Jay Manuel doesn’t speak to her anymore
Manuel, who was friends with Banks before joining the show, is not on as good terms with her these days. He tried to leave the show after cycle eight, and he said his relationship with Banks never recovered. While they continued to work together, he said Banks wouldn’t speak to him when cameras weren’t rolling.
According to Manuel, the last time he spoke to Banks was in 2017.
“Other than that, we’ve had no communication of any sort, text, email, anything,” he told People.
Banks declined to speak about her fallout with Manuel in Reality Check.
