‘Shaved head & failed dreams’: Tyra Banks slammed for ‘exploiting’ ANTMs

America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) alum and former plus-size model Sarah Hartshorne claimed that models on the show were only paid $40 (R640) per episode while Tyra Banks and the other judges were raking it in, via a tweet on 30 November. 

TWEEPS: ‘SHAVED HEAD, FAILED DREAMS AND $40’

Tyra Banks topped the Twitter trends list on 30 November because a former ANTM contestant Sarah Hartshome claimed that they were only paid $40 (R640). In addition the models did not receive any residuals and had to pay for their own food, so the $40 was more of a stipend. According to Forbes, Tyra made a whopping &30 million (R479 million) during a 12-month period as creator and host of ANTM.

$40 a day, no residuals, and we had to pay for food. https://t.co/lnclnbj2GZ

— Sarah Hartshorne (@sarahhartshorne) November 30, 2021

This sparked a conversation of exploitation and ANTM on Twitter. Tweeps thought that Tyra Banks was sending models home with a “shaved head, failed dreams” and only $40. 

at Tyra sending girls home with a shaved head, failed dreams, and $40 pic.twitter.com/ES9S2kcUya

— badboysremix (@badboysremix) November 30, 2021

Others slammed Tyra for “exploiting” the models.

$40 per day and the girls had to pay for meals… @tyrabanks , really? Talk about #pimping, wow. I lived for #ANTM. This is very disappointing

— Kaynah Lassiter (@KaynahLassiter) December 2, 2021

If I was Tyra Banks I would live everyday in fear of the inevitable Netflix or HBO documentary of ANTM

— MATERIAL GWORL! (@LOUIS_via_ROMA) November 30, 2021

Another Tweep compared Tyra to actress Taraji P Henson’s on-set treatment. 

Taraji paid me $600 to come film for 20 minutes for her show and fed me, paid for my car service, my flight, AND hotel. I spent like $52 of my own money that whole weekend Tyra is never seeing Heaven https://t.co/Heh3omKGAO

— Charcoal’s Mommy (@queend236) November 30, 2021

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SARAH HARTSHORNE: ‘WE WERE NOT PAID A PENNY FOR BEING ON THE SHOW’

Sarah revealed that the actual amount ANTMs were paid was $38 (R607) as a stipend. The model also claimed that they were not given a microwave to warm their food. Sarah was only 18 when she appeared on the show.

“We were not paid a penny for being on the show. 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,” said Hartshorne to The New York Post. 

Tyra previously responded to the backlash she received about ANTM on Twitter in May 2020.

“Been seeing the posts about the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments and I agree with you.  Looking back, those were some really off choices. Appreciate your honest feedback and am sending so much love and virtual hugs,” she tweeted.

Been seeing the posts about the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments and I agree with you.  Looking back, those were some really off choices. Appreciate your honest feedback and am sending so much love and virtual hugs.

— Tyra Banks (@tyrabanks) May 9, 2020

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