Yaya DaCosta shared a deeply personal story of reconciliation and growth after a surprise reunion with Tyra Banks, one that addressed years of unspoken tension from their shared ANTM past.
At the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards, DaCosta, 42, found herself face-to-face with Banks, 51, for the first time in years. The encounter came hours after Banks delivered a candid speech acknowledging ANTM’s problematic legacy, admitting the show didn’t always “get it right” and that she may have “said some dumb sh*t” during its 22-season run.
Tyra Banks, who was receiving the award as the first-ever Luminary Spotlight honoree, began her speech, “A time when people in the fashion industry were telling me, ‘You putting the girls from the hood on your show?’ I was like, ‘Why can the girl from the trailer park become a supermodel, but the girl that’s chili’ in the park in the hood can’t?’ And we fought, and we struggled, and we made it happen.”
The 51-year-old supermodel then spoke about the criticism the show has gotten in recent years, “Did we get it right? Hell no. I said some dumb s–t. But I refuse to have my legacy be about some stuff linked together on the internet when there were 24 cycles of changing the world.
“And I am so excited that I, and so many of us, have opened that door for others to follow.”
DaCosta, who competed on Cycle 3 in 2004, revealed in an emotional Instagram video that she initially missed Banks’ speech (she was in the bathroom) but later crossed paths with her at the event’s photo studio. What followed was a moment neither woman anticipated.
“If this had happened a few years ago, the old me would’ve felt heat, my heartbeat would’ve sped up, I would’ve tensed,” DaCosta confessed. “The story I told myself for so long was one of trauma.” Instead, she approached Banks, and the pair shared what DaCosta called a “beautiful conversation,” reminiscing and breaking the ice with small talk.
The Whitney actress clarified that she has moved on, emphasizing that she wanted Banks to know that she holds no grudges. Her decision to let go of past resentment reflects her journey toward healing, one that many ANTM fans who have critiqued the show may not have expected.
Over the years, ANTM has been both celebrated and criticized for its impact on the modeling world. Clips of Banks urging contestants to “fix” physical flaws, along with a widely condemned “race-swapping” photoshoot that used Blackface, sparked backlash and introspection about reality TV’s exploitation.
