Tyra Banks recently made her return to the modeling world with her first catwalk in nearly 20 years. It was to close out the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York City on Tuesday (October 15), ending the event’s six-year hiatus and marking her ninth Victoria’s Secret show overall. Cardi B was in attendance, and it seems like this made her reflect on all the backlash that Banks got for her harsh treatment of contestants on America’s Next Top Model. The Bronx femcee hopped on Instagram Live to speak on the matter and to defend the superstar model’s realistic perspective.
“In real shows they make you do s**t like that,” Cardi B said of Tyra Banks. “You gotta f***ing walk around with a shoe that’s bigger than yours, so you gotta be gripping your f***ing toes like this. Or then you gotta probably wear a shoe that’s smaller than your foot. Challenges that Tyra Banks used to give these b***hes is the s**t that happens in the real f***ing world. The thing about it is that y’all complain about it because the Internet has made y’all soft.”
Cardi B Defends Tyra Banks
Overall, Cardi B’s point is that Tyra Banks’ criticism and harsh perspective on America’s Next Top Model just previewed the real and pressure-heavy expectations of the actual modeling world to its hopeful new members. The 32-year-old made a point about how competitive the modeling industry is, explaining how a lot of these contestants probably wouldn’t make it despite the Inglewood native’s best efforts. In addition, Cardi even offered a personal anecdote. She recalled having to catwalk in shoes that didn’t fit her on two separate occasions, including last December’s Balenciaga fashion show.
Tyra’s Runway Return
Meanwhile, Tyra Banks has previously addressed the criticism of her behavior that Cardi B defended. Specifically, it was in response to a clip of Banks and her ANTM co-judges telling contestant Danielle Evans to get dental surgery to fix her tooth gap. “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 expressed. “Instead of me saying ‘You must change this’ on TV, I think what I should have said is, ‘You’re beautiful,'” the 50-year-old elaborated in a subsequent interview.
About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022.
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case.
Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
…
