‘ANTM’ model says ‘hostile’ Jay Manuel didn’t get along with anybody on set

The personality of the fashion industry, Jay Manuel, was a favorite element of fans as creative director for photo sessions on several cycles of America’s next top modelBut the alum of cycle 9 Sarah Hartshorne alleys in his new revealing book that the star known as Mr. Jay was a negative presence behind the scenes.

Hartshorne claims in his memories Do you want to be at the top? A memory of makeover, manipulation and not to become the next America Top Model This manual was unpleasant for distribution several times throughout the 9 shooting cycle, which made its debut in 2007 on the CW.

In the book, the model and actor based in New York remembers a particular case involving a photo session at the top of the skyscraper from the Omni hotel in downtown Los Angeles, which saw the models pretending to be high-cut gargoyles. She remembers that her colleague model Ambeal Williams “was afraid of heights” and “started to panic” in the moment – something that was highlighted by images in the episode of October 2007.

“We held her trembling arms and got her on the stairs to meet Mr. Jay,” writes Hartshorne. “‘You have this girl, you have that,” said Janet [Mills] In its warm drafl south. “In addition, you can see your favorite person”, Bianca [Golden] Pleasant, “” Referencing Manuel.

“Mr. Jay did not get along with anyone, but he had been particularly hostile with Ambeal on each shoot,” said Hartshorne. “She was so panicked, she could barely look at Mr. Jay when he approached and told us that we would pose on a giant platform, to create the illusion that we were perched on the edge of the building.”

Hartshorne also says that she thought that photographer Mike Rosenthal “seemed just as bored as during the first photo shoot” that they did with him weeks before. She says Rosenthal finally addressed distribution “with all the passion of a teenage son forced to be in Tiktok of her mother”.

Elsewhere in the book, Hartshorne says that, in a separate case, she witnessed Manuel and Rosenthal seated by camera.

“I walked to the set and the photographer, Mike Rosenthal, was seated with his disinterested camera. He barely looked at me when approaching. Mr. Jay had shown someone his new iPhone and all the features while I was showing up,” she wrote. “He rolled his eyes as he said it in his pocket and took a deep sigh and in tatters as if he knew himself to be in front of the camera again. I went to the boudoir stool in the center of the whole and I tried to continue breathing. Mr. Jay rubbed his temples.

In another case, Hartshorne alleges that “normally, to speak to Mr. Jay wanted to shout through an opaque and miserable fog. Sometimes there was a literal delay because I would wait for the information to penetrate.”

A Manuel representative did not respond Weekly entertainmentThere are several requests for comments. EW also contacted America’s next top model Producer Ken Mok to comment.

Manuel, 52, helped launch Antm On his inaugural cycle in 2003 and stayed with the show as a photo session director at cycle 18. He also helped administer challenges and select judgment panels, in addition to directing the The next Canada Top Model Spin-off for two cycles between 2007 and 2009.

Manuel, the longtime judge Nigel Barker left Top model In the middle of the remixed format of the program after cycle 18, with the longtime coach and judge Miss J. Alexander leaving the panel several cycles before. The trio has met over the years, a barker returning even to draw a cycle 24.

Like Hartshorne, Manuel published a book in the Antm Universe, with his 2020 novel The wig, the dog and the fusion would have been inspired by the series of modeling competitions. The fictitious show in Manuel’s book focuses on a model named Keisha Kash, which many have taken as a reference to the banks.

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However Top model has not broadcast again cycle since cycle 24 of 2018 on VH1, it has never been officially canceled. Banks previously told EW that she was planning to bring the show back for another edition of the stars for cycle 25, but a separate source told EW last year that Banks had no intention of relaunching the show as soon as she focuses on her Smize & Dream ice cream business in Australia.

In addition, EW reported exclusively earlier this year that banks would sit down for an interview to be included in a next Netflix documentary to probe on the history of Antm.