Tyra Banks Addressed ‘Insensitive’ Moments From America’s Next Top Model After Twitter Backlash

Tyra Banks admits that some moments from her time as host of America's Next Top Model were problematic.

Earlier this week, the supermodel and Sports Illustrated cover star was caught in a social media firestorm after a video from Cycle 6 of the popular modeling competition went viral on Twitter. In said clip, Banks can be seen pressuring contestant Danielle Evans—who went on to win that year's Top Model title—to get the gap in her teeth closed via dental surgery. "So Danielle, you went to the dentist but you refused to have your gap closed," Banks told the aspiring model. "Do you really think you can have a CoverGirl contract with a gap in your mouth?"

"Yes, why not?" Evans responded at the time.

"This is all people see," Banks said, putting her finger between her own two front teeth. "Easy, Breezy, Beautiful, Cover Girl. It's not marketable."

The resurfaced conversation led fans on the internet to revisit other ANTM scenes featuring Banks—and let's just say that many didn't age well. Twitter users called out Banks for allegedly making a contestant pose in a graveyard the day after her close friend passed away, "normalizing blackface," and the time the famed host seemingly suggested an openly gay model should not broadcast her sexuality.

On May 8, Banks responded to the criticism via Twitter, agreeing that there were some "off choices," though the former host did not explicitly apologize. "Been seeing the posts about the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments and I agree with you," she wrote. "Looking back, those were some really off choices. Appreciate your honest feedback and am sending so much love and virtual hugs."

Evans also addressed the controversy in a video posted to her own Instagram. "I have a responsibility to address what really happened and to speak my truth," she said. "But let me tell you what this video is not. This is not a video to war against anyone, this is not a video to defame anyone's character, and this is not a video to discuss my relationship with Tyra."

"This is a video for me to speak my truth and to provide clarity and for me to address an issue that was done 15 years ago that carries weight and that clearly affected a lot of young girls in America," Evans continued, before explaining her choice to go through with the suggested procedure.

“I was not going to allow something that was physical on my face to stop me from getting out to make a better life for myself," she said. "I had a laser focus goal. Nothing or no one was going to stand in my way. It wasn’t about copping out. It was about understanding what holds weight and value in my life, and teeth was not one of them.”