Tyra Banks breaks silence on controversial 'we were rooting for you' scene on America's Next Top Model
Tyra Banks has admitted that she 'went too far' after reflecting on the viral America's Next Top Model (ANTM) scene in which she shouted at Tiffany Richardson – but her co-star claims that she said worse than what ended up airing.The supermodel and presenter, 52, shocked her co-stars, models, and viewers at home in 2006 after she lost her temper and screamed at cycle four contestant Richardson that she was 'rooting' for her.While Banks' over the top reaction has since become a popular meme, the moment itself has long left an unsavory taste in the mouths of many.Unpacking the scene in the new three-part Netflix documentary series Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, Banks realized her behavior was out of line and shed light on why she reached breaking point.'I just wanted to change this woman's life,' she said of Richardson. 'I felt like she could have been a supermodel with a capital S.'Richardson, an aspiring model from Miami, Florida, first appeared on ANTM in cycle three but her journey ended abruptly after she got into a bar fight with some of the other girls.After Banks and the show put her into treatment for anger management, they welcomed her back the following series.Despite making it through six episodes, Richardson was dramatically eliminated in episode seven after she gave up in a task that saw the models read a teleprompter filled with several hard to pronounce designer names. Tyra Banks controversially screamed at 'unserious' cycle 4 contestant Tiffany Richardson Richardson was eliminated after she was left 'humiliated' trying to read from a teleprompter 'I saw her not believing in herself and giving up,' Banks said in the documentary of Richardson's response to the challenge. 'Not just her giving up on this modeling competition, but deeper.'During the elimination, Banks yelled at Richardson and said: 'I have never in my life yelled at a girl like this!'When my mother yells like this, it's because she loves me. I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you!'Responding to the scenes of herself yelling, Banks acknowledged: 'I went too far, I lost it.'It was probably bigger than her, it was family, friends, society, black girls, all the challenges that we have, so many people saying we're not good enough.'I think all that stuff was there in that moment. That's some black girl stuff that goes real deep inside of me but I knew I went too far.'Banks' shouting left her fellow judges on edge and, according to their claims, she was quickly removed from the set. Explaining her behavior in the new Netflix three-part documentary series, Banks said she 'just wanted to change this woman's life' Richardson claimed in 2017 that Banks's outburst was 'one thousand times' worse in reality'It was definitely the most difficult moment on set I had ever experienced,' creative director Jay Manuel said.'When they were done shooting, production staff literally took Tyra off set.'Fashion photographer and longtime judge on the show Nigel Barker added that Banks's outburst 'really scared all of us.''We literally jumped out of our seats,' he continued. Creative director Jay Manuel also claimed that the final edit cut out some of what Banks saidManuel, who served as the show's creative director for the first 18 seasons, went on to claim that the final edit was not as bad as what happened.He alleged: 'There was a lot more that was really said. I will probably never repeat the lines that were said in that room that day.'Stylist and judge Nolé Marin added: 'All I know is the next week we had all the lawyers on set.'While Richardson did not appear in the documentary, she previously claimed in 2017 that Banks's outburst was 'one thousand times' worse in reality.
