‘ANTM’ Alum Says She’s Forgiven Tyra Banks For ‘Trauma’

Former “America’s Next Top Model” contestant Yaya Dacosta recently revealed she’s “fully forgiven” Tyra Banks for the “trauma” she endured while filming the reality competition show in the early 2000s.

Banks, who created the show in 2003, has been under fire since 2020 after problematic clips from the show have resurfaced online.

During the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards, Tyra Banks gave a speech during which she addressed the negative criticism she’s received over the years about the way she treated women on “ANTM.” On Saturday, March 15, 2025, DaCosta, one of the more recognizable names from the franchise, posted an Instagram video addressing her former boss’ words and revealed she’s moved on.

Banks, who was born and raised in Inglewood, California, began modeling at age 15. She had a highly successful career, becoming the first Black woman to appear on the cover of popular publications, including Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and GQ.

In 2003, the supermodel created the television program “America’s Next Top Model,” in which aspiring models competed in an interactive show to win a modeling contract, a magazine spread, and a contract with a major cosmetics brand.

The casts were diverse and often featured many women of color, as well as women of different heights and sizes. Banks, however, revealed her decision to be inclusive caused much pushback.

“To show different beauties at a time when the world was like, ‘What? You casting that? And what? Was it that?’ A time when people in the fashion industry were telling me, ‘You putting the girls from the hood on your show?’ I was like, ‘Why can the girl from the trailer park become a supermodel, but the girl that’s chillin’ in the park in the hood can’t?’ And we fought, and we struggled, and we made it happen,” Banks said during the ESSENCE awards.

Later, during her speech, Banks admitted she and the production crew didn’t always “get it right” while filming the hit reality show. “I said some dumb sh-t,” she stated. “But I refuse to have my legacy be about some stuff linked together on the internet when there were 24 (seasons) of changing the world.”

Banks has been criticized for what many deem to be problematic behavior during her time as the show’s host. Previous clips show the supermodel making fun of a woman’s gap teeth, while others feature white models posing in blackface. “We all evolve. We all get better together. And I am so excited that I, and so many of us, have opened that door for others to follow,” she said.

DaCosta, who appeared in the show’s third season and came in second place, addressed Banks’ speech in a video she posted on Instagram. In the lengthy clip, the model-turned-actress said she felt “compelled” to speak before saying she experienced “trauma” while filming the series.

The 42-year-old called out the producers for their “manipulative editing and weaponization of girls’ weaknesses” and “catalyzing body dysmorphia to eating disorders.” She also explained that the “most shocking” moments didn’t “air” on television. However, the “Chicago Med” performer revealed she learned to “regulate my nervous system” by being in such an atmosphere.

Elsewhere, in her video, DaCosta revealed she also attended the ESSENCE awards, but she missed Banks’ speech when she excused herself to the restroom. She, however, ran into the former “America’s Got Talent” host backstage and said they had a “beautiful conversation.”

“I was so excited in this moment to walk over to her, to reach for her hands and to greet her with warmth, with gratitude, with love,” she shared. “Something that I would not have been capable of. The couple of places we’ve been in in the past we did not speak. Probably both pretended not to see each other.”

DaCosta admitted she was “excited” to see Banks before saying the “ANTM” creator didn’t offer an “explicit apology” for things that went wrong on the set of their show. Despite that, though, DaCosta was ready for Banks to know she had healed from her experience.

“Y’all, I held that woman, and when it was time for the hug to be over, I held some more. And I took a deep breath because I wanted her to feel what it feels like to be fully forgiven, appreciated, and loved,” she said.

Amid the backlash Banks was receiving for former “ANTM” episodes, she was hosting “Dancing with the Stars.” During that time, reports surfaced about the former Victoria’s Secret model being a “nightmare” to work with.

Sources claimed the mother was “disrespectful” to the crew and gave “wild demands” before talking about her “toxic” energy. “Tensions are high in the ballroom. Between low ratings, COVID outbreaks, and constant managing of the Tyra backlash, the producers are on edge about everything,” they revealed.

Banks departed the series in 2023 and told TMZ she was ready to “focus on my business and my entrepreneurship, and also producing more TV.”