Tyra Banks Trashed By Former 'America's Next Top Model' Contestant

Supermodel Tyra Banks is getting blasted on social media after an America’s Next Top Model alum revealed that the contestants didn’t make any money, while Banks made bank. According to Forbes, the model earned $30 million during a 12-month period as creator and host of the CW competition reality series.

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However, while she was making millions, the wannabe models competing were getting almost nothing. After a tweet about the contestants’ pay went viral, ANTM alum Sarah Hartshorne weighed in, saying, “$40 a day, no residuals, and we had to pay for food.”

Contestants ‘Were Not Paid A Penny’

“We were not paid a penny for being on the show,” Hartshorne elaborated in an interview with the New York Post. “We were given a $38 daily cash stipend that we had to use to pay for our own food, and they didn’t even give us a microwave to heat the food up.”

Fans of the show were quick to express their outrage over the low pay for contestants, along with comments Banks and other judges made on the show. Banks made a statement apologizing for her past actions after many called her out for telling cycle six winner Danielle Evans that she needed to undergo reconstructive dental work in order to become “more marketable” as a model. Evans did not go through with the procedure.

“Been seeing the posts about the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments and I agree with you,” Banks tweeted last year. “Looking back, those were some really off choices. Appreciate your honest feedback and am sending so much love and virtual hugs.” She hasn’t commented on the most recent criticisms of the show.

https://twitter.com/tyrabanks/status/1258913638330462208?s=20

Former Contestant Opens Up About Time On The Show

Hartshorne also opened up about the way the contestants were treated behind the scenes on the reality show. “Production kept us in the dark about almost everything because they wanted to keep us on edge. Us being confused, tired, stressed, sleep-deprived and hungry just made for better TV,” she said. “We never knew where we were going at any given time. They would transport us from place to place in a windowless van and we’d have to face every situation totally clueless and out of sorts.”

“Being on America’s Next Top Model didn’t really open doors in the modeling world for a lot of people,” she continued. She also claimed that Banks does not maintain contact with the show’s contestants or winners once production wraps on the show. “It just gives aspiring models a glimpse of what to expect if we want to make it in the industry.”