In the wake of America's Next Top Model host and supermodel Tyra Banks receiving backlash for reportedly paying contestants only $40 a day, season 3 contestant Toccara Jones has stepped in to defend Tyra and the show. The controversy began last week when Cycle 9 contestant Sarah Hartshorne tweeted that during the show, contestants were only paid $40 with no residuals and had to pay for their own food. The tweet spawned outrage on Twitter from fans of the show that has largely been directed at Tyra.
Unfortunately for ANTM, this is only the latest in a series of seemingly endless criticism of the show. Looking back, fans have realized just how much of the show aged poorly, from blackface photo shoots to fat shaming to Tyra's multi-level marketing company, which she debuted on the show. Former contestants and producers, such as Jay Manuel, have revisited the show's content to criticize it. There is more about ANTM that can be and has been criticized than can possibly fit in any one article.
On Sunday, Toccara spoke to TMZ to defend Tyra and ANTM. "There's no canceling Tyra," she said. "This is the modeling world. [Tyra] didn't create this. She just showed y'all [what it's like] and she became the face of it." Toccara continued, saying that Tyra gets this type of criticism all the time as a high-profile celebrity, and that it's a testament to the influence of the show that people are still analyzing it. Toccara also said she believes people shouldn't expect to be paid for a competition, and that the show was worth it for her. "The whole purpose of a contest is to win a prize. It's for the exposure...And no, we don't get residuals or anything like that, but we did sign a contract and they did feed us and we were able to buy our own personal items if we needed to."
Especially given all the other criticism that ANTM has faced, it's likely that Toccara's defense will fall on deaf ears. The new picture that has been painted of the show and Tyra since its final season has been one of greedy ANTM producers who were willing to take advantage of young aspiring models and put them through the ringer for the sake of the show. It's also hard for the show, which was very profitable, to justify such minimal compensation for the models.
Artists in general have also fought back against the idea of doing free work "for exposure" in recent years. Across the spectrum of media, artists are demanding standard compensation for all their work regardless of skill level or the potential benefits of getting their name out there. Toccara's opinion is also obviously influenced by the fact that she's one of the few ANTM contestants for whom the "exposure" of ANTM actually garnered her a significant career. Even so, Toccara is correct in saying that America's Next Top Model is an iconic show and likely always will be no matter how many scandals are thrown its way.
Source: TMZ