'Top Model' Judge Jay Manuel Announces New Book, Dishes on Working with Tyra Banks & More

Jay Manuel, best known for being a judge and mentor on "America's Next Top Model," has announced he's writing a book inspired his time on the hit reality show and is opening up about his former boss Tyra Banks with an interview in Variety.

Released on Aug. 3, Manuel's novel is called "The Wig, The Bitch & The Meltdown." He explained that, after being a fixture on "ANTM" for 18 seasons, he started writing the book in 2014. More recently, specific clips from the show have gone viral, forcing Banks to apologize for some of the ways she and the show treated contestants.

"I never saw that coming. My novel has been in the works for quite some time, so this really is a surprise to me," Manuel told Variety. "I wanted this book to entertain and that's why I used satire, and had a lot of fun with it.

"All of the characters in the book took on a life of their own and were just inspired by people in my life, but we write what we know and, as they say, art imitates life – and is often larger than life," he added.

Variety reports that Manuel did not consult with Banks nor any of his former "ANTM" colleagues, noting that he doesn't have much of a relationship with the fashion icon anymore.

"Over the past few years, we've emailed," Manuel said, adding that the last time he saw her in person was in 2017. "To be very honest, we really have no relationship to speak of, which is really sad. Our time together on 'ANTM' was amazingly productive and, at times, magical. We got to experience being part of a global phenomenon."

Last month, Manuel shared a photo of himself and Banks on Instagram for #WomenCrushWednesday. He captioned the post: "We may no longer speak every day, or see each other often, but this woman to my right taught me some of the biggest lessons life has to offer. Self-validation is the ONLY thing that allows you to conquer your #fears & achieve your #dreams."

Manuel also talks about how he felt uncomfortable with creative decisions during his time on "ANTM," saying that Banks and the show's co-creator Ken Mok, who backed Banks' recent apology, made the final decisions.

"Many times when you're working in an environment like that, you have to listen to your executive producers, and ultimately the two voices at the top were Ken and Tyra. There were sometimes several objections by other producers and myself about layers that were added to creative, and we were just told to execute," Manuel told Variety. "I think it's a little unfair to throw the whole team under the bus. The whole team wasn't there on the front side when they were making decisions about the show in its heyday. The team wasn't really supported, so to speak."

Mok responded to Variety with a statement:

"As Creative Director of the photo shoots, Jay was involved in many creative decisions throughout his time with the show. However, the ultimate decisions always rested with us, the creators of the show, and we continue to take full responsibility. Jay's artistic contributions to the show were always appreciated and 'America's Next Top Model' wouldn't have had the same initial success without him."

Click here to read more of Manuel's lengthy interview with Variety, where he talks more about his upcoming book, why he quit "ANTM" and much more.