From Clutch magazine: America’s Next Top Model has been on the air for eighteen whopping seasons, and the show owes a good chunk of its success to the flippant quips and over-the-top walk of Miss J, the alien-like hair, creative direction, and hosting skills of Mr. Jay, and the straight-up-fine Britishness of former model Nigel Barker. Oh yeah, and Tyra Banks’ smizing and tantrums aimed at underachieving, but very pretty, contestants.
As of yesterday, the franchise, which has imitation versions all over the world, has officially let go of Miss J (aka Jay Alexander), Mr. Jay (aka Jay Manuel), and Nigel to move in another direction. All three of the cast members have been with show since it began in 2003.
ANTM has launched the careers of numerous women who have either continued to model or, like Eva Marcille or Tocarra Jones, moved into acting and related endeavors. The rumor mill is saying that Tyra specifically wanted to get rid of the three men, but the official word is that the show would like to move in a social media direction and instead of focusing on traditional fashion insiders will seek bloggers and online personalities. Tyra (and the producers) undoubtedly want to turn a program that used to be a can’t-miss event and has now become a bit stale into something that people love to watch again.
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