America’s Next Top Model Winner Adrianne Curry Slams ‘Woke’ Reexamination of Show as “Absurd”
Adrianne Curry, the first-ever winner of America’s Next Top Model, is pushing back against Netflix’s upcoming docuseries revisiting the reality competition, calling its modern reassessment “absurd.”
Curry, 43, reacted after Netflix released the trailer for Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, a three-part documentary that explores the show’s cultural legacy, controversies, and long-term impact. The series is set to premiere on Feb. 16.
While Curry says she remains grateful for winning the show’s inaugural cycle in 2003, she strongly disagrees with analyzing the program through today’s social and cultural standards.
“I think people psychoanalyzing it over 20 years later with a woke lens is absurd,” Curry wrote on X.
Why Curry Refused to Participate
Curry confirmed that she declined to appear in the Netflix series, explaining that she has little trust in reality TV producers and no interest in returning to the public spotlight.
“I don’t trust people to not manipulate things I say for TV, so I decline everything,” she wrote. “The public is cult-like and cruel, and the last thing I want is a bunch of eyeballs on me.”
Now living in Montana with her husband, Matthew Rhode, Curry has fully stepped away from Hollywood. In a separate Instagram post, she said she has “zero trust in producers” and considers herself “hard retired” from the entertainment industry.
The Docuseries and Renewed Scrutiny
Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model examines both the show’s successes and its controversies — from its early push for diversity in modeling to criticism over harsh judging, comments about contestants’ bodies, extreme makeovers, racially offensive challenges, and the pressure placed on young participants.
Tyra Banks, the show’s creator and longtime host, appears in the series and is seen in the trailer acknowledging that she “went too far” at times.
“It was very intense,” Banks says in the preview. “You guys were demanding it, so we kept pushing it.”
Banks is joined in the documentary by executive producer Ken Mok and former judges Jay Manuel, J. Alexander (Miss J), and Nigel Barker.
‘Selective Outrage’ Sparks Debate
The involvement of several longtime judges has sparked criticism online, with fans questioning why Banks is being singled out for behavior that others were also part of.
One social media user wrote to Curry that it was unfair to judge the show by modern standards, noting that modeling has always emphasized appearance and thinness.
“It was a different time,” the fan wrote.
“It’s a cover-up fest,” Curry replied. “Let ’em weave their webs.”
Concern for Former Contestants
Curry also expressed concern for contestants who chose to participate in the Netflix project, including winners and fan favorites from later cycles.
“I hope the other girls do not have their words twisted,” she wrote. “I worry about the girls from my season who agreed to do it.”
Former contestants featured in the series reportedly include Whitney Thompson, Dani Evans, Shandi Sullivan, Keenyah Hill, and Shannon Stewart.
A Complicated Legacy
America’s Next Top Model aired for 24 cycles after premiering in 2003 and helped launch the careers of figures such as Eva Marcille, Yaya DaCosta, Lio Tipton, Winnie Harlow, Nyle DiMarco, Leila Goldkuhl, and Isis King.
Curry has previously spoken openly about her negative experiences with the show. In 2024, she told PEOPLE that she felt “betrayed and lied to,” describing the modeling industry as “cutthroat, predatory, and dishonest.”
Despite that, she says she’s ultimately thankful her career didn’t unfold the way she once imagined.
“I’m grateful things didn’t pan out,” Curry said. “I don’t think I would be a very good person if I had found major success in modeling.”