Is Tyra Banks already looking to back out of hosting Dancing with the Stars after outraging contestants and producers alike with a “horrifying gaffe?” That’s the word reported by one tabloid. Gossip Cop investigated the claims.
Tyra Banks Clashing With Producers, Contestants?
Referring to Tyra Banks as both a “tyrant” and “rattled,” the National Enquirer reported that the America’s Next Top Model creator has had a “rocky start” to her new gig hosting DWTS. In fact, a source tells the outlet, “Tyra is already trying to back out of hosting.”
“She hates the criticism she’s been getting from virtually everyone!”
So-called “tipsters” for the tabloid go on to say that the former model has been “bickering behind the scenes with producers,” who are supposedly regretting replacing veteran hosts Erin Andrews and Tom Bergeron. Banks’ “horrifying gaffe” apparently hasn’t helped soothe tensions on set.
On October 5, Banks mistakenly placed the wrong couple into the bottom two, announcing that Vernon Davis and Peta Murgatroyd as well as Keo Motsepe and Anne Heche were up for elimination. She soon had to call back Cheer coach Monica Aldama and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy and reveal there’d been a mistake. Davis and Murgatroyd were safe, while Aldama and Chmerkovskiy were in the bottom two. According to the Enquirer, Heche had believed “she was safe” and was quite upset by the error. A source whispered:
“Anne was not happy – she was furious. She drove off the lot and refused to do any press.”
The incident didn’t sit well with either the contestants or the producers, the latter of whom were “fuming” over the “negative attention” it brought and the “lack of preparation” from Banks it supposedly revealed. “Tyra thinks because she has so much experience hosting, she doesn’t have to prepare,” an insider explains.
Compounding the tensions is the fact that Banks is allegedly “terrible at taking any feedback or criticism,” which leaves the producers so “frustrated,” they’d gladly watch Banks “dance away from the show!”
Gossip Cop’s Take
There are several logical inconsistencies throughout this piece, namely the fact that Anne Heche was never safe from elimination, so the tabloid’s assertion that the actress was left “furious” over Banks’ mistake makes no sense. Heche and her partner were the only dancing pair not affected by Banks’ so-called “horrifying gaffe.”
Besides, Banks’ mistake came from a control room error, which multiple producers and other crew members have already confirmed. Banks’ note cards said one thing, while the people on the other end of her earpiece were saying another. In fact, the producers were publicly full of praise for Banks, with one telling Entertainment Tonight, “I think Tyra dealt with it amazingly. I just want to be really clear, this was not Tyra’s fault. It was a behind-the-scenes issue.” That sounds incredibly supportive, and not at all fraught as the tabloid insists.
The Enquirer has a history of making inflammatory statements about the future of popular TV shows. It was behind a report claiming Sharon Osbourne was the driving force behind Marie Osmond’s decision to quit The Talk. Osmond clearly stated her reasons for leaving the talk show, and none of them had anything to do with her co-hosts. The tabloid also claimed Ellen DeGeneres’ neck injury was threatening to end her career as a daytime talk show host. Once again, another false claim that was easily disproved.
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Our Verdict
Gossip Cop can’t say for sure, but this is most likely false, given the evidence.
