Former ‘ANTM’ Judge Kelly Cutrone Defends Tyra Banks And Says ‘She Will Prevail’ Amid Documentary Backlash

Former “America’s Next Top Model” judge and fashion industry heavyweight, Kelly Cutrone, is coming to the defense of Tyra Banks following the ongoing backlash after the release of the Netflix documentary on the show.

Cutrone had high praise for the supermodel and said that, despite currently being at the center of controversy, she will ultimately “prevail.”

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Kelly Cutrone, who was a judge on “America’s Next Top Model” during cycles 18 through 22, spoke about what the future holds for supermodel and mogul Tyra Banks, as she faces backlash from the explosive documentary “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.”

"I feel confident that Tyra will prevail," Cutrone told the outlet. "She's done a lot for people, including the people who are out there trashing her right now, specifically the people who worked on the show."

"I feel that she will prevail, and I think that she will get through this," the famed fashion publicist said. "But I think that 80 percent of [the docuseries] is incredibly twisted. I believe that the facts and the truth will come forward."

Addressing the commentary from former “ANTM” judges Jay Manuel, Nigel Barker, and Miss J Alexander, Cutrone didn’t mince words and said that they were not as innocent as they proclaimed to be.

"Do I think [Tyra is] perfect? No. Do I think the show is perfect? No," Cutrone said. "Do I think that she deserves that? Absolutely f-cking not. As somebody who owns a company and runs a business, I would be furious if they were my employees and they behaved like that. And to what end? To what end?"

As a long-time fixture in the fashion industry, Cutrone also addressed the show’s former contestants who voiced their gripes about the show and the industry.

"Some people are going to move forward, and some people aren't," she said. "You're on an elimination show. Ninety-nine percent of the people that are on the show get eliminated. Do you feel bad about being eliminated? I would if my dreams and hopes were put onto that."

As one of the more prominent figures from “ANTM” to slam Tyra Banks in the documentary, Jay Manuel presented his participation on the show as virtually unproblematic, but Cutrone begged to differ.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Cutrone took to Instagram and called out the former reality TV personality.

"Side note – Jay never even worked in the fashion industry – he worked at a MAC make up counter in Toronto – Tyra boosted him and how did he repay here [sic] – by writing a novel about her and the show (which no one bought) and now he is trying to become relevant by being out there trashing her again," Cutrone wrote in the comments of a video about the documentary.

She continued, adding, "Maybe he will get a deal as a spokesperson for spray tanning or filler."

"He was so incredibly rude to me my first day on the show – he come [sic] up to me and said – welcome to the show – you are in the ejector seat ( meaning anyone who sat in that seat – Andre [Leon Talley] etc) wA [sic] fired – oddly enough he was does [sic] at the end of that season," Cutrone wrote.

During a segment on her daytime talk show on February 19, Shepherd addressed the fallout from the much-talked-about Netflix documentary and offered a compassionate take on Banks amid the backlash.

"The show did awful things to the contestants, and I think everybody expected Tyra to take more accountability," she stated. "I understand why people are mad."

Shepherd then noted how different reality television was at the time “ANTM” was at the height of its popularity.

"But I also say, you have to understand the time this all happened was in 2003,” she said. “Reality TV was the wild, wild west back then. Every show was trying to outdo each other to stay on the air."

"We're woke now, we know so much more now than we did back then," Shepherd continued her defense of Banks. "I hate that she's getting so much flak. She does need to take accountability, I know that, but I also know the battles some people will never understand that are fought."

As she fought back tears, Shepherd added that she understands that things could have been done differently in hindsight, but Banks was ultimately coming from a genuine place, even though her methods may not have always been executed properly.

"To keep a show on the air there are things that we have to do that people will tell us, if you want to stay on the air, this is what you've got to do, and we've got to weigh the options, and sometimes we make bad decisions and we look up and go, in hindsight, maybe I should not have done it, but I just wanted to open up the door and give a platform to people who look like me," she said.

During an appearance on “CBS Mornings” on February 19, per PEOPLE, Marcille was naturally asked about the documentary, and she shared her perspective.

“I have been asked about Tyra for 21 years,” the former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star said. “No matter what project I’m doing, what I’m involved in, somehow ‘Top Model’ finds its way in my interview. I’ve done 154 projects since ‘Top Model.’ It’s been 21 years.”

Marcille, who is easily the most successful person to come from “ANTM,” then shared that she will always thank Banks, something she has consistently done for decades, for changing her life for the better.

“Thanks to ‘Top Model,’ though,” she said. “What I will say is I will never fail to thank Tyra. What Tyra set out to do in this business, I will always say — and especially for ‘Top Model,’ initially — she set out to change the world; to change what the modeling industry looked like, sound like, felt like and expected. And she did that for me.”

Marcille also pointed out that it was “very surprising” that she was not asked to participate in the documentary.