America's Next Top Model star explains why she was 'disqualified' from the show
America's Next Top Model star explains why she was 'disqualified' from the show
Angelica CheyenneSun, May 10, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTC
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America's Next Top Model alum Claudia Charriez was the first transgender contestant -Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited (Reach Publishing Services Limited)
America's Next Top Model opened the door for many aspiring models, including Claudia Charriez, who made history while on the show during its run.
Claudia, 45, who appeared on Season 6 of America's Next Top Model's 24-season run that ended in 2018, was the first transgender woman model to be a contestant on the show. The Trouble With Billy star recalled how she "marched herself through" thousands of women to secure herself a spot on the show at the time.
"I marched myself through hundreds of thousands of women and found my way in the front lines of that, of cycle six in 2006," she said. This revelation came amid Claudia reflecting on America's Next Top Model creator Tyra Banks, 52.
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Despite her impact on the show, Claudia revealed that she was "disqualified" from America's Next Top Model because of her TGI (Transgender, Gender-Diverse, and Intersex) identity.
"Unfortunately, I was disqualified for being trans and I was learning and understanding how Hollywood was accepting trans women in the industry and what it was like to be visible before we had Facebook, before we had Instagram, before we had all of these social media platforms and even knew what an influencer was...this is like before those days. And I had the pleasure of being on there," Claudia shared.
Claudia starred on Season 6 of America's Next Top Model, but was 'disqualified' because of her transgender identity -Credit:Getty Images
While Claudia "got to meet the girls" since she spent some time on America's Next Top Model Season 6, and is visible "on the first pilot" of that season, she admitted to feeling "erased" from ANTM history.
"I got to meet the girls. I mean, you can see me on the first pilot and a couple of little snippets, but I look back and I often feel erased from that," Claudia explained, adding, "it's discouraging and it's tainted my experience with America's Next Top Model, but it's also given me hope because we got to see what Isis did."
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Claudia was referring to Season 11 and Season 17 contestant Isis King, 40, who was also a trans woman who competed on America's Next Top Model.
Claudia got her start as a part of the legendary ballroom house, House if Xtravaganza
The Puerto Rican model-turned-actress, who's a product of the historic ballroom house, House of Xtravaganza, revealed that though she was booted from America's Next Top Model, she was later invited to compete in America's Next Top Transsexual Model by Tyra herself.
"I ended up being called back by Tyra to do America's Next Top Transsexual Model. And it was a show and it was a competition and of course I won..." Claudia shared.
After that, she went on to compete on a season of Janice Dickinson's Modeling Agency, another modeling reality competition, this time spearheaded by America's Next Top Model judge and former supermodel, Janis Dickinson. However, Claudia claimed that once again she was "disqualified for being trans."
Since her days on America's Next Top Model, Claudia has gotten into acting -Credit:FilmMagic
Even though Claudia made strides in the industry, she was candid about how experiencing rejection in her career for her transgender identity impacted her.
"It was so difficult for me to have that rejection as an openly trans woman when I was already modeling as a trans woman itself. You know, I was already modeling before all of that, but now that I was an open trans woman, I was getting discarded," she added.
Despite the roadblocks Claudia faced, she still feels "blessed" since a lot of her "sisters aren't here today" because of systemic injustices the transgender community faces on a daily basis.
"It's sad because the life expectancy of a trans person in America is 30. Could you imagine that a trans woman's life expectancy is 30? I'm happy to say that I'm 45 years old and I get to celebrate my 20-year anniversary of being on America's Next Top Model and seeing what has happened since," she revealed.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
