America’s Next Top Model alum Yaya DaCosta is breaking her silence after Tyra Banks recently addressed long-standing criticisms of the reality competition series.
In a lengthy Instagram video shared on Saturday (March 15), DaCosta, 42, directly responded to Banks’ speech at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards, where the supermodel, 51, admitted that ANTM “didn’t always get it right” and that she may have said “some dumb s—” on the show, but emphasized that it “opened the door for others to follow.”
“A lot was said, and a lot was not said. I feel compelled to speak,” DaCosta began, adding, “The story I had been telling for so long is a story of trauma.”
The Chicago Med star included several controversial ANTM clips in her video, such as Banks telling a contestant to “fix” a gap in her teeth and footage from the now-infamous “face-swapping challenge” that saw contestants modeling in Blackface.
DaCosta also addressed other widely criticized aspects of the show, including its “manipulative editing,” the “weaponization of girls’ weaknesses,” and its role in “catalyzing body dysmorphia and eating disorders.”
She also revealed that her “most shocking” experiences on the show “did not even air” but admitted to gaining “tools” that would later help her in her career, including learning to “regulate my nervous system.”
“The show caused real trauma for the show’s alums,” she explained. “it wasn’t by accident. It was by design. The goal was entertainment over real-world modeling preparation, and especially over mental health.”
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On February 27, Banks received the inaugural Luminary Spotlight honor at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards.
During her speech, she acknowledged America’s Next Top Model’s early efforts to promote diversity on-screen while also addressing longstanding reports of a toxic work environment. (The show premiered in May 2003.)
“You guys have no idea how hard we fought to bring the diversity to that television show at a time when it didn’t exist,” she said.
“To show different beauties at a time when the world was like, ‘What? You casting that? And what? Was it that?’ A time when people in the fashion industry were telling me, ‘You putting the girls from the hood on your show?’ I was like, ‘Why can the girl from the trailer park become a supermodel but the girl that’s chillin’ in the park in the hood can’t?’ And we fought and we struggled and we made it happen.”
“Did we get it right? Hell no. I said some dumb s—, but I refuse to have my legacy be about some stuff linked together on the Internet when there were 24 cycles of changing the world. We all evolve. We all get better together. And I am so excited that I, and so many of us, have opened that door for others to follow.”
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DaCosta revealed that she attended the awards show but wasn’t present when Banks gave her speech. However, she later ran into the ANTM host, and the two shared a heartfelt conversation and “reminisced.”
“When I saw her, I was genuinely excited. I walked over and had a beautiful conversation,” the Lincoln Lawyer star said. “No, there was no explicit apology, but you could see in that [speech] she’s sick of people every once in a while, bringing up these controversial clips from the show.”
Defending Banks, DaCosta pointed out how perspectives have evolved over time.
“Some of the same people who are making these little videos and commentaries … back then, were watching it and laughing and not really seeing anything wrong with it,” she said.
“Yes, things change. Like she said, we all evolve. Society as a whole is shifting, and so no wonder we as individuals are shifting. Let’s not pretend the show wasn’t wildly successful, because its audience was right there on the judging table.”
She added, “We all evolve. We’re all doing the best we can at all times with the resources that we have. It doesn’t mean that we accept abuse, but we know that everyone is just trying to get their human needs met. When I hear this speech, what I hear is courage. It takes courage to get up in front of people and finally say what’s been on her mind and heart for so many years and insist on recognition for the positive, and not just the negative.”
DaCosta also acknowledged Banks’ progressive approach to casting, praising ANTM for featuring models of diverse body types, including plus-size models, whom Banks championed throughout the show’s 24 cycles.
She also noted that Banks casting trans model Isis King in Cycle 11 back in 2008 was groundbreaking for television at the time.
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DaCosta said there was no bad blood between her and Banks and that they ended their reunion with a sentimental moment.
“I just took her into an embrace … y’all I held that woman and when it was time for the hug to be over, I held some more. And I took a deep breath because I wanted her to feel what it feels like to be fully forgiven, appreciated and loved,” she shared.
She ended her video by reflecting on what the moment meant for her, calling it an “amazing opportunity for me to finally close that chapter, as I’m beginning a new one” and sharing that she felt “finally, legitimately free” from the weight of any negativity.
“I’m like, you know what? I think it’s time for me to let everybody know that we’re good, and I want y’all to be good too,” DaCosta said.
“And if there’s somebody in your life that you need to forgive for something, now is such an amazing time to do it. There is no time like right now to choose freedom, compassion, love and kindness.”
“Forgiveness isn’t for other people, it’s for us.”
