Why Tyra Banks Is Hopeful America's Next Top Model Could Return

Tyra Banks is still rooting for America's Next Top Model. Really, we're all still rooting for it. 

For 24 straight seasons (sorry, cycles) leggy natives of Broken Arrow, Okla. and Pinson, Ala. turned up to her reality TV creation to learn how to smize and booty touch their way to the top. The hope? To build a career in fashion á la host Tyra, one of the industry legends tapped to pose for the recent 60th anniversary edition of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

And though it's been more than six years since Tyra was last holding just one photo in her hands, the 50-year-old is hopeful she hasn't delivered her last critique. 

"We have tried, so it's not us," she told E! News at the swimsuit issue launch party of her efforts to get her brainchild back on the air. "It's the powers that be. I'm not the biggest boss in the room, so it's not my doing. Maybe one day."

When the reality series premiered 21 years ago in May 2003, first on the now-defunct UPN, then The CW and, finally, VH1, it dominated.

At one point the series netted upwards of 6 million viewers eager to watch wannabe cover girls sob through their pixie cut "Ty-over" and attempt to nail the perfect commercial for LashBlast Mascara.

"I didn't realize that Top Model would be one of the most successful television shows in the history of television," Tyra admitted to E! when asked about the legacy. "Never. I thought it would be two seasons and that it. So big, big surprise."

And while one of the harshest critiques of the series is whether the winning models really landed on top, Tyra remains proud of how they moved the needle within the modeling industry. 

"I think it's legendary because it opened the door for so much before diversity was a thing that people had to do because of the pressure of social media," she explained. "We were doing things that people would poo-poo, or go, 'Why are you doing that?' And, 'That person is not traditionally beautiful.' So we got a lot of backlash, a lot, for breaking down those doors. But sometimes when you're early in first, you get the bumps and bruises and you open the door for other people to come."

Plus, a six-figure CoverGirl contract and featured placement in a women's monthly was nothing to sneeze at. And, for the most part, each winner did go on to have a relatively fruitful career, whether that meant posing for brands such as Burberry and Guess, walking Off-White runways or finding their way in front of other TV cameras. 

Let's take a look into where the victors landed after they claimed their spot on top. 

Though she would go on to pose for Ed Hardy and Von Dutch, the series' inaugural winner is, perhaps, most famous for the waaaaay she became a Brady wife. Marrying Christopher Knight after they met on VH1's Surreal Life, she and the Brady Bunch alum would go on to star on the network's spinoff My Fair Brady before ending their five-year union in 2011. Now remarried to voiceover actor Matthew Rhode, she defected from L.A. to Montana were she runs her blog and sells Avon products. 

Having gleaned a thing or two about hustling from Banks, the trained vocalist from Florida is juggling modeling (she walked in New York Fashion Week in 2015) an HSN gig and hosting work. But her "proudest achievement", as she put it on Instagram, is parenting son Alastair with attorney husband Gregory Lineberry, the man she's called her "best friend."

Then known as Eva Pigford, the 5-foot-6 L.A. native confidently claimed her throne atop the ANTM empire, then assuredly pivoted from modeling (having landed numerous shoots and runway shows) into acting with a 2007 arc on House of Payne. A two-year stint on The Young and the Restless and parts in films such as Sistercode and Busted followed. And, up until announcing her departure in June 2020, the Rickey Smiley Morning Show host and mother of three (single since her 2023 split from attorney Michael Sterling) was Gone With the Wind fabulous on Bravo's Real Housewives of Atlanta. 

Since her 2005 win, the student has become the teacher. In between modeling gigs (the former Detroit resident is represented by EMG and MMG), she's offered advice on the 'gram, in her 2012 book Model Behavior and on her Model Tips Live podcast. One standout guest: fellow cycle 4 alum, Keenyah Hill. 

The student from Grand Forks, North Dakota (a hometown she affectionally refers to as "the tundra") walked away from the fifth round with a cool prize: a $100,000 CoverGirl contract and a career that saw her posing for the likes of Burberry and Bebe. Now living on the west coast with husband Adam Nathanson, she's signed with HRI Talent, but also works as a court appointed special advocate and on her blog, No Way Mama, named for her son Theo's first words. She welcomed her second child, daughter Olive, in November 2019. 

So determined to leave her hometown of Little Rock in the rearview, ("I wasn't even hungry, I was starved to get out,") the 5-foot-11 beauty acquiesced slightly when informed host Tyra Banks wanted her to eliminate the space between her front teeth, agreeing to close the gap every so slightly.

"I was not going to allow something that is physical on my face to stop me from getting out to make a better life for myself," she explained in 2020, responding to the resurfaced video. Still, she stressed to her "young queens" she fully believes that beauty is on the inside—and her grace has propelled her to endless bookings and a second job as founder and designer of hat line, Monrowe. 

Post-win, the Fargo native turned her biggest liability—a bold personality that had her teasing judge Nigel Barker about the "stick up his ass"—into her greatest asset. Along with ad campaigns (she became the face of Ray Ban in 2013) and runways, she scored work as a host (MTV's Scarred, Oxygen's Pretty Wicked) an advocate (with the National Psoriasis Foundation) and as a singer and drummer. She also returned to her photography roots, sharing her work on Instagram @carideephotos.

The physical embodiment of not giving up on your dreams, she became the eighth winner after getting passed over for cycle 7. No doubt that perseverance is a message the L.A. resident, who recently starred in short film An Outfit, espouses in workshops through her company On Set With Jaslene. Well, that and mastering six signature poses that make you stand out. 

Making the transition to acting after a handful of fashion weeks, the California native (who'd modeled previously on The Tyra Banks Show) stuck to what she knew, scoring a guest role on The Exes in 2012 as a supermodel. Parts on New Girl and All My Children followed, eventually leading the World Vision ambassador to her regular gig as Lani on Days of Our Lives. In April 2023, the actress announced her engagement to actor John-Michael Carlton. 

A 10-season drought was broken when the Floridian was named the first full-figured victor thanks to her size six(!) garb. She now shares the experiences she gained traveling the world for various jobs on her Whitney's Wanders blog and her love of vegan eats at Pink Pelican, the Panama City Beach ice cream and fudge shop she owns. Her other major projects: Sons Winston and Tristan with  husband Ian Forrester. 

Nearly 12 years after she came out on top, the 6-foot Renaissance faire enthusiast is still fighting. Wed to professional MMA fighter Sam Alvey since 2013, she is also a mixed martial arts enthusiast, Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, chef and mom of five.  

After collecting her prize in the Brazilian finale, the New Jersey native (now working professionally as Teyona Asia Anderson) headed further south, walking some 30 shows in Cape Town's fashion week. But in her personal life, she's more likely to be found behind the camera, capturing photos of son Anderson Nash. 

Proving good things come in slightly smaller packages, the winner of the petite season (at 5-foot-7, she's actually an inch taller than Marcille) went on to book major ad campaigns for Forever 21 and Steve Madden along with parts on The Bold and the Beautiful and in 2016 films Hero of the Underworld and Paradise Club.

These days, though, she describes herself as a former model and actress, instead working as an interdisciplinary literary and visual artist with specialization in poetry and oil painting. The author and illustrator of Lipton Loves lives in Maryland with husband Jacob Abuhamada and their son Idris. 

The twelfth(!) time auditioning was the charm for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff beauty, who nabbed the crown in 2010. Though she's since worked runways in NYC, Los Angeles and Milan, according to her website, she's now focused on TV hosting gigs to follow up her two-season stint as a judge and student mentor on TLC's Global Beauty Masters, while also serving as fashion director for DLXVRSN Magazine. 

Though the lanky 6-foot-2 Texan (runway specialist J. Alexander infamously wrapped his hands around her tiny waist) spent time working as a model, gracing covers of both Velvet Magazine and ENE Magazine, her Instagram feed is dedicated to her other passion: illustrations from her work as a concept artist, character designer and animator.

Despite five years in the industry and a portfolio filled with impressive titles (Vogue Italia! Vogue Mexico! Interview!), the Lock Haven University grad's Insta profile describes herself as a former model and "current human raising a tiny human." Along with bringing up 6-year-old son Rowan, she earned her Master of Professional Studies degree in Strategic Communications from Penn State in 2022. 

Placing just sixth during cycle 5, she was nonetheless unforgettable for attention-grabbing antics that saw her using a diaper while on set and having lengthy chats with a pampas grass plant she named Cousin It. Nabbing the title in the all-star round, she translated that notoriety into further screen time on Celebrity Rehab, Marriage Boot Camp Reality Stars and Shark Tank. (Her pitch for Dare-U-Go!, part bib, part storage container earned her $350,000.)

She and former husband Adam Friedman welcomed their first son Daxel in September 2013 and second son Venice nearly three years later. Naturally, his arrival was streamed live on Facebook. In September 2023, she revealed she had moved to Portugal. 

The Oxford native came for Top Model honors in the series' British Invasion round. After edging out American runner-up Laura LaFrate, she released her single "Aiming For You" on iTunes, then served as host of a TRL-esque weekend countdown show on Music Choice. These days, the New York City resident juggles a handful of gigs including Amazon Live host, Daily Front Row contributing editor and actress, starring in 2023's Killington. 

In the first battle of the sexes, the 6-foot Oregon teen dominated, besting male finalists Marvin Cortes and Cory Hindorff. So no surprise she's been working steadily ever since. Among the jobs she's featured on her Instagram: the cover of Desnudo Magazine Italia and an ad for Gucci.

Once the former NFL wide receiver got in the game, he quickly proved to be a winner. The series' first male victor, he's posed for the likes of Macy's, Diesel, Guess and Nike. From there, the cofounder of multimedia company Dream Katchers Enterprise, "made a natural transition into acting," as his bio on the company website explains. Among the standout roles for the father of Keith Jr.: Cardi B's "Be Careful" music video, the 2017 drama Chocolate City: Vegas and a recurring role on The Bold and the Beautiful. 

A clear winner: After smizing his way to the top of the ANTM heap in 2015, the show's second male winner (and first deaf victor) shimmied to mirrorball gold on Dancing With the Stars the following year. Then he made his next move into producing and acting (credits include Difficult People, Switched at Birth and Dan + Shay's "Tequila" music video) while continuing his work as an activist for the hearing impaired with his Nyle DiMarco Foundation.

With the constant comparisons to Gigi Hadid, plus the skills to avoid the dreaded bottom two, the Seattle native's 2017 victory wasn't all that shocking. Nor is the fact that she's been steadily working in the years since, a job for Las Vegas' Ambra Italian Kitchen + Bar earning her a massive billboard on the side of the MGM Grand. "I have been modeling for over 8 years and have done everything from magazines to look books to TV to web campaigns to commercials, and more," she shared in a November 2019 post. "But never have I EVER had a big campaign like this."

Still, she noted in an April 2024 Instagram video, posing was never enough to pay the bills. "Even since the very early days of my modeling career, I have never worked just as a model," she said of her various side gigs, like working at a golf course or a bar.

Her current 9 to 5 is as a social media manager for a beauty brand. "I create content for them," she explained. "I book their influencers to do brand collaborations. I post to their page, write the captions." But she's still hustling. "I'm ramping up my podcast soon," she revealed. "I’m going to be interviewing America’s Next Top Model contestants from the past."

A quick scan through her Instagram feed proves she's made the most of her 2018 victory. In between posting for brands such as Ivy Park, Calvin Klein, Wrangler and Alexander Wang, she's cementing her spot on the runway. "first szn in paris & i debuted with @off____white," she raved in 2020, "so mf major - i'm truly living a dream."

—Reporting by Nikaline McCarley