Tyra Banks breaks silence on America's Next Top Model backlash

Tyra Banks is addressing some mistakes from the past, particularly on the sets of America’s Next Top Model.

The show recently gained traction again as old videos resurfaced with negative feedback, criticising Banks for her comments during the show's 24 seasons.

In a recent appearance at ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards, Banks earned her first-ever Luminary Spotlight honouree.

She took the opportunity to address the longstanding criticism towards the show, admitting that she made some faulty remarks during the series.

"Over 20 years ago I created a show called America’s Next Top Model," the runway model star, 51, began.

"And you guys have no idea how hard we fought to bring the diversity to that television show at a time when it didn’t exist; to show different beauties at a time when the world was like, 'What? You casting that?' 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 chilin’ in the park in the hood can’t?'" she continued. "And we fought and we struggled and we made it happen."

The Victoria's Secret alum then got to the gravity of the matter, her remarks.

“Did we get it right? Hell no. I said some dumb s***,” she said, which was met by laughter from the audience. “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.”

"And now my 51-year-old, dimpled, cellulite-covered bigger tummy and 10 million times bigger titties is walking through that door that I opened with all of us behind us on that runway saying, ‘Baby, it’s just the beginning,’" she concluded her acceptance speech which was met with applause.

One of the resurfaced clips showed Banks telling a contestant that she should "fix" a gap in her teeth, while another featured a now-controversial "race swapping" challenge in which some contestants modeled in “black face.”

This isn't the first time Banks has admitted to her mistakes as she previously did so in an X post at the time.

"Been seeing the posts about the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments and I agree with you. Looking back, those were some really off choices. Appreciate your honest feedback and am sending so much love and virtual hugs," per CNN.