Kimora Lee Simmons Speaks Out About “Top Model ”Doc, Hasn't Spoken to Her Child's Godmother Tyra Banks in Years
Kimora Lee Simmons Speaks Out About “Top Model ”Doc, Hasn't Spoken to Her Child's Godmother Tyra Banks in Years
Virginia ChamleeWed, April 8, 2026 at 6:21 PM UTC
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America's Next Top Model: Tyra Banks, Kimora Lee SimmonsCredit: David M. Russell/UPN; Araya Doheny/Getty -
Kimora Lee Simmons says she was not asked to participate in the new America's Next Top Model documentary, despite her early involvement in the series
Simmons also reveals in a new podcast that she hasn't spoken to Tyra Banks in years, even though Banks is the godmother to her child
The fashion mogul adds that many of the documentary's claims about “treacherous moments” in the modeling world are "very true"
Kimora Lee Simmons is sharing her thoughts on the Netflix's buzzy documentary about America's Next Top Model — and revealing where she stands with Tyra Banks today.
On the Tuesday, April 7 episode of the Aspire With Emma Grede podcast, Simmons, 50, acknowledged that she was not asked to participate in the documentary, despite the fact that she appeared alongside Banks, 52, as a judge on season one of America's Next Top Model.
The documentary explores the legacy and behind-the-scenes realities of the long-running modeling competition.
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America's Next Top Model -- #104 -- Top Model creator and executive producer Tyra Banks (left) with expert judge hip-hop fashion designer Kimora Lee Simmons and guest judge director Loren HaynesCredit: David M. Russell/UPN
"I don't know why I wasn't part of the doc," Simmons said on the podcast.
The fashion mogul and Baby Phat founder, who was closely involved in the early days of Top Model, went on to reflect on her history with Banks and their once-tight bond.
"And Tyra is one of my kids' godmothers, as well. Although we haven't talked in a very long time," Simmons said. "We used to be very, very close. I started Top Model with her."
The new documentary revisits some of the more controversial aspects of America's Next Top Model, including criticism about how contestants were treated. Simmons acknowledged that many of those portrayals are grounded in reality.
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"It was a crazy moment in time, I think a lot of the things they talk about in it...a lot of what was portrayed leading up to the documentary... were true. Were very true. Treacherous moments, with models," Simmons said.
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America's Next Top Model, which first premiered in 2003, became a cultural phenomenon and helped launch the careers of several aspiring models. However, in recent years, it has faced renewed scrutiny as viewers revisit past episodes through a modern lens.
Among the stories that surfaced were former contestants who claimed they were body-shamed, racially profiled and bullied by judges. Problematic challenges where models were asked to don blackface were recalled, as was another that asked a contestant whose mother was shot in a violent act to recreate that trauma in a photoshoot.
Some viewers say they developed eating disorders after watching the show, while two former stars talked about painful dental procedures they endured that have had lifelong effects.
Despite not being included in the documentary, Simmons didn't rule out the possibility of revisiting the franchise in the future.
Simmons said "maybe in the future" she would participate in a future season, saying she had been approached about being a judge in past seasons but it never worked out.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
