Tyra Banks laughed when asked where things stand with Law Roach after their heated exchange on Project Runway. “What? We’re beefing? Okay, we’re beefing,” she told Entertainment Weekly.
Addressing her absence, Banks challenged the assumption that she was supposed to judge all 10 episodes. “Y’all don’t know what my contract stated,” she said. Asked whether she would return to the show, she answered, “I don’t know.”
On June 18, Freeform announced Banks as a recurring judge. The network listed Heidi Klum, Roach and Nina Garcia as returning judges, with Christian Siriano continuing as mentor. It also announced guest judges including Iman and Niecy Nash.
Banks’s comments, published Oct. 6, came during an interview about the reissue of her novel Modelland, 15 years after its debut. The fashion competition’s 22nd season had finished airing on Sept. 10.
The Judging Continued Into a Second Episode
The fifth episode, “Viva la Fashion!”, aired Aug. 6 and required the designers to turn paper towels into runway looks. They were also asked to identify the weakest designer among them, according to Freeform.
Banks and Roach accused each other of “overstepping,” with Banks telling him he was “over-talking everybody” and “making no damn sense.” Roach argued that fashion did not have to be extravagant, defending the importance of technique and talent.
During deliberations, Roach also said anyone voting the way Banks did was “stupid.” The episode ended before the final judging decisions were revealed.
The Aug. 13 installment opened with the previous episode’s deliberations, and Roach said of one decision, “As much as I hate to, I agree with Tyra.” Banks did not return to the panel after that opening sequence.
Winnie Harlow and Nina Dobrev appeared after Banks’s final judging session, while Garcia returned in episode seven and stayed through the finale alongside Klum and Roach.
“People lost their damn minds on that. Was it big to you? I didn’t think it was that big,” Banks said of the reaction to the argument.
Roach Defends His Judging at the Emmys
At September’s Emmys, Roach told The Hollywood Reporter there was “no Tyra situation at all.” He described the panel as a place for different opinions and said he had also clashed with Klum and Garcia, joking that “anybody can get the smoke.”
Roach said the attention paid to his harshest critiques often overlooked his encouragement of the contestants. “I’m there to just give real world advice because I know what this industry is looking for,” he said.
Roach Credits Banks With His Reality TV Start
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On the Sept. 22 episode of Outlaws with TS Madison, Roach credited Banks with casting him on America’s Next Top Model, his first reality show. He recalled arriving in Los Angeles from Chicago without knowing much about television.
Roach recalled Banks telling him that he spoke in soundbites and explaining how a memorable line could take a show into a commercial break. “I will always respect her and honor her for that,” Roach said.
Roach also described himself and Garcia as the panel’s fashion experts and said he was willing to argue with colleagues whose fashion expertise he considered below his own. Asked where Banks fit into that assessment, he said, “Tyra was a model,” before praising her appearance.
Roach said he had tried to work with Banks as her stylist but had never been hired. Asked whether he would dress her, he answered, “I would.”