Janice Dickinson is speaking her mind — and not holding back.
The self-proclaimed “world’s first supermodel,” 71, took aim at her former America’s Next Top Model boss Tyra Banks. In a new interview, Dickinson claimed the hit reality show “tortured” contestants and fostered a culture of cruelty behind the scenes.
While appearing on E!’s Dirty Rotten Scandals, a new explosive docuseries, Dickinson looked back on her four seasons as a judge and alleged that producers — especially Banks — pushed her to be tougher for the sake of drama.
“The producers, especially Tyra, were begging me to be harsher and cruel, like Simon Cowell was on American Idol,” Dickinson claimed.
Though she became known for her sharp critiques on the panel, Dickinson insisted her biting commentary wasn’t entirely her own idea. Instead, she suggested it was part of a bigger formula meant to boost ratings and keep viewers hooked.
Still, her harshest words were directed squarely at Banks.
“America’s Next Top Model really tortured these girls for Tyra’s ego. I was there and I saw it for four seasons,” Dickinson alleged. “She was a hardcore b—–.”
She also revisited one of the show’s most infamous moments — Banks’ explosive confrontation with contestant Tiffany Richardson. The scene has resurfaced in recent years as new viewers binge on old episodes and question how contestants were treated.
“Tyra didn’t want any competition,” Dickinson said. “She went off on one girl and it was so frightening that I was going to get up and hold her down.”
According to Dickinson, many contestants walked away from the experience emotionally drained.
“They left the show completely depressed and depleted while she got so rich,” she alleged.
In recent years, America’s Next Top Model has faced renewed backlash over past episodes that included fat-shaming, racially insensitive remarks and intense working conditions. Banks, who created and hosted the franchise, has addressed some of the criticism and admitted certain moments haven’t aged well.
She previously explained that the tough persona she displayed at the judging table wasn’t her true self.
“It’s a character,” she told People. “It’s not me in real life at all.”
Banks also shared that she nearly walked away from the series before its eighth cycle. In an earlier interview with EW, she revealed she met with another supermodel about taking over her role.
“I went to [my lawyer] and I was like, you know what, I’m ready to bring someone else in. I won’t say the name of that person, but I actually brought a different person to the network, met with them, and said, ‘This is the person I want to take the reins of this show,'” Banks said at the time. “It was very early. My lawyer held an intervention of sorts, and said, ‘What are you doing? You created this show. It’s starting to get traction around the entire world. I beg of you not to do this.’ But, I was so tired. I was like, fine, fine, I’ll just continue. I called [my potential replacement] and said, ‘We’re not going to have you do this for now.’ It’s something that’s been on the tip of my fingers for so long, so it wasn’t necessarily difficult [to let go]. It was actually exciting.”
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