America's Next Top Model's Groundbreaking Winner Exposes Toxic Environment
Whitney Thompson, who made history as the first plus-size winner of America's Next Top Model, has revealed shocking details about the fat-shaming and emotional abuse she endured during her time on Tyra Banks' iconic reality competition. Speaking ahead of Netflix's explosive documentary Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, the 38-year-old model described a production environment that deliberately targeted plus-size contestants.
Intentional Sabotage and Daily Emotional Breakdowns
Thompson, who won cycle 10 of the show in 2008 when she was just 20 years old and a size 6, told People magazine that the lack of proper clothing for plus-size contestants felt completely intentional. "I just pretended like it didn't bother me," she confessed, "but, and I'm sure most of the girls would do this, I would cry in the shower every day because the shower is the only place that the cameramen couldn't come, so that was your safe place to release and be like, 'Why are they doing this to me?'"
The model described how she had to improvise with duct-taped dresses during challenges, knowing producers were deliberately trying to provoke reactions. "I knew that they were trying to poke me and get something out of me, so I just played it cool, like, 'That's fine. We'll just duct tape my dress. No worries.'"
Judging Panels Required Medication to Endure
Thompson's most startling revelation concerns the psychological toll of the judging process. "I took Xanax before every judging," she admitted, describing the experience as a complete "nightmare." "You're standing there for eight, nine hours under those hot lights waiting for people to tell you that something is wrong with how you look. It was emotionally exhausting."
Despite the fashion industry's gradual embrace of curvier figures during her career, Thompson revealed that the concept of "plus-size" modeling came with its own rigid, unrealistic standards. "We would go with our pads to castings and photo shoots, and the padding would make our waist larger, our hips larger, but we'd still have the same jawline, arms and ankles," she explained. "You could have a belly, but you still had to have a cut jawline."
Industry Hypocrisy and Lasting Scars
Thompson's candid interview highlights the ongoing battle within fashion, where superficial nods to body diversity often clash with deeply entrenched, rigid standards. Even as brands and runways began featuring fuller figures in the 2010s, the industry frequently treated inclusivity as a passing trend rather than meaningful change.
The model also discussed how her reality TV fame sometimes worked against her professionally. "You were buying who I was on Top Model," she noted. "If a brand wants a girl to just show clothes and they don't want someone [recognizable in a catalog] because that takes away from their product, then you're not going to get that job."
Longstanding Controversies Resurface
Thompson's revelations come amid renewed scrutiny of America's Next Top Model's problematic history. When old clips resurfaced online in 2020, viewers reignited debates about the show's treatment of contestants, with many calling out judges including Banks for body-shaming, harsh comments, and humiliating challenges designed more for shock value than genuine modeling critique.
Among the most notorious examples was the "race swap" photo shoot where contestants were styled in heavy makeup to resemble different ethnicities - a stunt even ANTM's creative team now acknowledges hasn't aged well. Other controversies included Cycle 6 winner Danielle Evans being pressured about her tooth gap and producers sending models into situations that felt exploitative rather than empowering.
Mixed Legacy and Complicated Gratitude
Tyra Banks has addressed much of this criticism in recent years, admitting at the 2025 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards that ANTM "didn't always get things right," while defending her intent to broaden diversity on television.
Despite the trauma, Thompson expresses gratitude for the opportunities the show provided. "I didn't realize at the time what a big deal it was," she reflected. "People saw me on the show and felt inspired. I felt like I was actually making a difference in people's lives or with brands that hadn't worked with plus-size models before. Me winning the show definitely made a shift in the fashion industry."
Fans worldwide have reached out to share how inspiring they found her journey, something Thompson says she's only now fully appreciating as her story resurfaces through Netflix's documentary and her courageous decision to speak truth about her experiences on one of television's most influential modeling competitions.
