Joe Budden on INSANE 'America's Next Top Model' Documentary

Initial Reaction to the Documentary

• 💡 Joe Budden watched a three-episode documentary about America's Next Top Model (ANTM), initially without his girlfriend, who had been following TikTok discussions about the show's past.
• 🎯 He quickly realized the documentary revealed shocking and problematic practices, leading him to believe many involved, especially Tyra Banks, deserved severe criticism.
• 🎭 Joe found the documentary's content so disturbing that he described it as a "mess" and labeled Tyra Banks an "absolute monster" for her actions and lack of apology.

Exploitative Practices on ANTM

• ⚠️ The show was accused of exploiting aspiring models who believed they were seeking modeling gigs and help, but were instead used for "television purposes."
• 🧠 Grievances from the show's production were so numerous and severe that Joe Budden had to start writing them down to keep track.

Sexual Assault and Narrative Control

• 🚨 In season one, a contestant was sexually assaulted while blackout drunk during a shoot in Milan, an incident that was filmed by the production crew.
• 💬 Instead of acknowledging the assault, the show forced the contestant to call her boyfriend on air to confess to "cheating," shaping a narrative against her.
• 🚫 Tyra Banks and a producer, Ken, showed no apology for the incident, stating their attitude was that "the cameras never stopped rolling."

Racial Insensitivity and Discrimination

• 📌 A Black contestant was repeatedly targeted and called "ashy" with "bad skin" by Tyra Banks, despite having good skin, which was perceived as using "black racist buzzwords."
• 🎨 The show featured segments involving "race swapping," including blackface, whiteface, and Native American face, which was presented as "appreciation to different cultures."
• 👶 During these controversial segments, contestants were even made to hold babies of the race they were transformed into, with Tyra Banks referencing "Egyptians" during one such clip.

Controversial Dental Procedures

• 🦷 Contestants were subjected to unethical dental procedures, where a Black contestant was pressured and forced to close her natural gap despite her strong objections.
• ⚖️ This same contestant was not allowed to contact her parents or an attorney before the procedure, highlighting the coercive nature of the show's demands.
• 🔄 Later, Tyra Banks contradictorily encouraged another contestant to get a gap inserted, demonstrating the arbitrary and exploitative nature of these "makeovers."