Tyra Banks' Ex-Colleague and Friend Reveals Where He Stands With the Model Now

It was once one of reality TV's tightest bonds… Until it wasn't. Now, years after their shocking fallout, Tyra Banks' former right-hand man is finally revealing where things truly stand, and let's just say… the silence has been loud.

Tyra Banks and Jay Manuel go way back, long before "America's Next Top Model" became a pop culture phenomenon. When the show launched in 2003, Banks chose Manuel, then her trusted makeup artist, to help bring her modeling dream to life.

For cycles upon cycles, they were inseparable on-screen and off. Late-night brainstorms, photo shoot magic, and what seemed like an unbreakable creative partnership...

The Pact That Made Their Bond Feel Unbreakable

The once dynamic duo were, by Manuel's account, constantly in touch. "We would text or email multiple times a day or get on the phone multiple times a day, every day," he recalled in an interview tied to Netflix's documentary, "Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model."

There was even a pact between them…

"She said, 'As things grow, let's never talk through our people. Always, come to me,' which was very Tyra [being a] big sis. She does it to everyone on the show." Manuel explained.

The Email That Changed Everything

So when Manuel's contract options were up around Cycle eight, he followed that pact, as he wanted to leave on good terms. He had secured a contract with E! as a correspondent and was hosting another show on Style Network, and he felt ready to explore new opportunities.

Thus, he sent what he described as a heartfelt email:

"I wrote her a very short, beautiful email that said, 'Hey, I really appreciate it, and I am so grateful for this start, and I'm grateful that I could be there for you in realizing this dream.'"

And then came the silence… According to his exclusive interview with People, Banks didn't respond right away. "It was probably the longest three days ever. And she ultimately wrote back just three words. 'I am disappointed,'" Manuel divulged.

No greeting; no context, and no explanation.

Manuel said when he saw her name pop up in his inbox, his heart jumped into his throat. But the email contained only those three words, and then, as he put it, "she never spoke to me again."

Back for One More Cycle… and Into 'Torture'

"After that email exchange, all communication just stopped," he revealed. "It should've been the opportunity to have a heart-to-heart, but that did not happen."

Despite wanting to move on, Manuel returned for Cycle nine after network executives asked him to stay one more season while they figured out his replacement.

He hoped the return might create space to address things with Banks. Instead, it became what he describes as one of the most painful periods of his career.

"Tyra chose not to speak with me at all while the cameras were off. When they were on, she'd speak to me," he told People exclusively. "After [trying to leave], I did cycle 9, which was ... torture for me. I was so broken by the end of that cycle because of the mental torture of what was going on." The professional strain eventually became public drama in 2012 during Cycle 18.

The Day the Judges Were Thrown Under the Bus

Manuel, Miss J. Alexander, and Nigel Barker were all removed from the show at the same time. While media reports, via a "leak," claimed they had been "fired," Manuel insists the situation was more complicated.

He says he was on a two-year contract and had already planned to leave at the end of Cycle 18. However, he claims Barker and Alexander were in the middle of four-year contracts when they received a phone call.

Just before the story leaked to the press, the trio was told by phone that their services were no longer needed. "[The network] always was looking for drama. The ratings were going down. They literally threw us under the bus," Manuel claimed, describing the experience as a "slap in the face."

The show went on for six more cycles, with Banks remaining at the helm for four of them before Rita Ora replaced her as host for the final two. But Banks has offered her own emotional perspective on that moment…

Banks' Emotional Confession: The Pressure from Above

In a Netflix promotional video for the documentary shared on Instagram, Banks admitted the decision deeply affected her:

"I cried myself to sleep that night. You know, they were there from the beginning. Best friend in the bed, coming up with photo shoots. Backstage at fashion shows, hanging, laying [sic] on them. Some of the closest people to me in my life."

She then explained that she and executive producer Ken Mok had to deliver the news because "bosses have bosses."

"And the big boss was very clear. There are no sacred cows," she said. "And I heard that meaning, 'You too, Tyra. So pick up the phone and do what I'm telling you to do.'"

The model also maintained that it was not her personal choice, revealing, "I don't believe that they knew that it came from above. No matter how much Ken and I were explaining, this was not our decision. To this day, I think they think that it was me and Ken [sic]."

Meanwhile, Manuel, reflecting on the same situation in the Instagram clip, offered a telling observation: "She was willing to do anything for her show. However, you want to look at that clearly, even in that situation, she would do anything for the success of her show."

A Question Banks Didn't Want to Answer

Years later, when cameras rolled for "Reality Check," producers attempted to revisit the unresolved tension. In the documentary, director Mor Loushy asked Banks directly if she would talk about what happened between her and Manuel.

Up until that point, Manuel noted, she had spoken about him "in a very broad way." But when the question became specific, her demeanor shifted.

"Did you notice Tyra's reaction? It's the first moment she actually breaks out of [her] persona. She's like, 'No, no.' And you see her face. That's a face that's annoyed that Mor asked her something that she wasn't supposed to." Banks then said on camera that she didn't want to address it there, and that she owed Manuel a call.

The Phone Call That Never Came

That was filmed a year ago…

"We shot this a year ago. Do you think my phone rang? No. And I don't think it's going to," Manuel revealed. He echoed a similar sentiment to People. "I never got that phone call. I don't think I'm getting a phone call. She's got my number."

The last time they saw each other in person was in 2017 at BeautyCon, five years after he exited the show in 2012 alongside Barker and Alexander.

Manuel says that the encounter was surprisingly pleasant, as they had a "really nice conversation." But since then? "Other than that, we've had no communication of any sort, text, email, anything."

It's a striking contrast to how close they once were. "Tyra and I were close, and when we were in New York shooting, or even in L.A. shooting, she'd be at my house or [sic] I'd be at her house, and we would really download."

Secrets Kept, Bridges Unburned

Yet despite everything — the email, the silence, the alleged behind-the-scenes tension, the public "firing" narrative, and the phone call that never came — Manuel insists he's at peace.

He also says he will never betray her trust. "The things that are those really, really trusted [sic] important things that she has said to me, I will never repeat. I will forever honor my relationship with her in the past." And now for the part that may surprise longtime fans the most…

"I'm in a healed place," Manuel shared. Then came the words that feel almost poetic, given how it all began, "I wish her no ill will."

After years of speculation, tension, and unanswered calls, Manuel isn't holding onto anger. Instead, he's leaving the door open. Whether Banks ever walks through it… That's a different story.