Former America’s Next Top Model finalist Shannon Stewart is giving grace to controversial host Tyra Banks.
“A Thought About Tyra. And About All of Us. We are very good at turning people into villains,” Stewart, 41, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, February 24. “In a digital world, nothing stays buried. Old interviews resurface. Clips are slowed down and replayed. Moments that lasted seconds are stretched into narratives that define a person. And before long, we’ve crowned one.”
Days after Netflix premiered a new doc titled Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, Stewart — who participated in the project — argued that Banks, 52, deserves a bit of mercy.
“Did Tyra do everything right? No. But if we’re honest, neither have we,” Stewart wrote. “Have we always responded with wisdom instead of emotion? Have we never said something we later regretted? I can only speak for myself. I am a sinner in desperate need of a Savior.”
In July 2003, Stewart appeared on cycle 1 of America’s Next Top Model. Although she was crowned the runner-up behind winner Adrianne Curry, the model had the opportunity to grace the covers of magazines and walk the runway at New York Fashion Week.
Stewart explained on her website that she is now focused on “being a real model of grace” as she hosts the “Out of Focus” podcast and serves at a church with her husband.
In her latest Instagram post, Stewart urged her followers to be less judgmental about Banks as show participants share their experiences on Netflix.
“We forget that Tyra is a person — a mother, a daughter, a woman known by God long before she was known by the world,” Stewart shared. “She once said something that hurt me. Later, she told me she was sorry. Not everyone has the humility to do that.”
She continued, “Nothing is ever as simple as one name. Stories are shaped. Environments are complex. And if I’m honest, I had choices too. Accountability matters. Growth matters. But so does mercy.”
While some followers were quick to applaud Stewart’s point of view, one former contestant was hesitant to fully agree.
Lisa D’Amato, who was the winner of cycle 17, commented, “I love this sentiment, but don’t agree. After all the research I have done on Tyra, I’m not giving them grace. Love your heart tho 😘.”
In her final thoughts, Stewart argued that there “is enough hatred in the world already,” and doesn’t want to create any more.
“I know how deeply I need grace. And because mercy was extended to me, I want to extend it too,” she wrote. “If we believe in redemption for ourselves, we must believe in it for others🤍#antm #americasnexttopmodel #graceandmercy #humanity.”
Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model is streaming now on Netflix.
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