Olivia Attwood has openly criticized Tyra Banks, accusing her of failing to acknowledge the controversies surrounding “America’s Next Top Model.”

The 34-year-old “Love Island” alum recently commented on the Netflix documentary “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model,” which explores the backlash the show has faced over the years.

The reality series has been embroiled in numerous controversies, ranging from perilous runway challenges to problematic photoshoots and questionable makeovers.

Sharing her perspective on the situation, Olivia, who is currently hosting the competitive cooking show “The Heat” on ITV, expressed her disappointment, stating, “She must have thought we were all fools.”

In an interview with Attitude, when asked who might deserve some criticism, Olivia didn’t hesitate to name Tyra Banks. “I believe she should assume some responsibility for what happened on ‘America’s Next Top Model,'” she remarked.

Olivia added, “I feel like she thinks we’re naive because I’ve seen extended clips on TikTok—which is where I watch most of my TV—and I couldn’t bring myself to watch the entire show.”

Olivia Attwood has slammed Tyra Banks and accused her of ‘not taking accountability’ of the controversies on America’s Next Top Model

The Love Island star, 34, spoke about the new Netflix documentary Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, which addresses the backlash from the show

‘But the long clips I’ve seen of her, I think you can say at that time, in that culture, “I wanted to make a dramatic, amazing TV show. And in hindsight, it wasn’t right”.

Olivia continued: ‘The way we treat, even the way I like Love Island 2017, there’s a very different show now. So I think you can put your hands up and say we’ve all evolved and we know that society and cultural changes are a thing.’ 

The television personality said she wished Tyra would have been braver and not hide behind ‘smoke and mirrors’.

The Daily Mail has contacted Tyra’s representative for comment.  

Featuring interviews with show host Tyra, TV producer Ken Mok and former judges, the three-part series hears from former contestants and winners including Whitney Thompson, Giselle Samson and Shandi Sullivan.

In the series, Giselle, who was a contestant on the first series, opens up on being the victim of ‘shocking’ insults from the judges behind-the-scenes, and series two star Ebony Haith reveals ‘racist’ comments about her skin.

Elsewhere, Shandi, who also appeared on series two, addresses the controversy over her being filmed sleeping with an Italian man, despite having a boyfriend, in one shocking episode filmed in Europe.

The model speaks openly about ‘blacking out’ before the act, with ‘nobody doing anything to stop it’ and instead ‘filming it’ to be aired on the series.

Featuring interviews with show host Tyra, TV producer Ken Mok and former judges, the series hears from former contestants and winners

Olivia is hosting her own competitive show, The Heat which sees ten chefs battle it out 

While other former contestants also open up on their thoughts about a ethnicity-swapping photo shoot that saw white models made over in ‘blackface’ make-up.

A number of stars also complain of being fat shamed, and harassed by male models, including being ‘grabbed and touched’ without consent on set.

When old clips began resurfacing online in 2020, viewers reignited debates about the show’s treatment of contestants and the way producers pushed boundaries.

Many called out judges, including Banks, for body‑shaming, harsh comments and humiliating challenges that seemed more designed for shock value than genuine modelling critique.

Tyra herself has addressed much of this criticism in recent years.

At the 2025 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards, she admitted ANTM didn’t always get things right, saying: ‘Hell no. I said some dumb s—,’ while also defending her intent to broaden diversity on television.

The revived popularity of America’s Next Top Model brought with it swift backlash from a new generation of viewers who discovered the show during the pandemic

It is a resurgence Tyra herself acknowledges ‘brought so much joy to so many people – and so much anger.’

The supermodel said she ‘knew [she] went too far’ on the reality show, which ran on UPN, CW and later VH1 from 2003 until 2018, and that she ‘kept pushing more and more and more’ because she tried to give fans what they wanted.