Tyra Explains Why She Fired Paulina Porizkova

Paulina Porizkova has been running around Hollywood dissing Tyra for firing her from "America's Next Top Model".

Tyra has remaimed mum, until yesterday when she (well, executive producer Ken Mok) issued this statement.

"The current state of the economy has forced shows to make major budget cuts industry wide. 'America's Next Top Model' is not immune to these financially challenging times. We've had to make significant cuts in every area of the production and, unfortunately, Paulina was a casualty of these cuts."

See, people. It really is the e-e-e-e-economy.

"Tyra, who pursued Paulina to join the show as a judge multiple times, was incredibly saddened by the decision the show was forced to make. We really enjoyed working with Paulina, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors," the statement read.

In a new interview with TV Guide magazine, Paulina says the show is not all it's cracked up to be and contestants' careers are stunted by appearing on the show. Read it afer the jump.

What did you think of Teyona’s win?
Well, I was there. I had a hand in it. But you know what? Honestly, now that I’m off the show I can actually say it. I didn’t vote for Teyona.

Who did you vote for?
Allison. Well, I’m not going to name names. But two of us voted for Allison and two of us voted for Teyona and one of us had to cross the line over to the other one.

Of the three finalists, who do you think is the most likely to have an actual modeling career?
None of them.

Really? That’s sad.
I know. I’m really very sorry. But they’re not models. Look at the history of Top Model. When has a winner not fallen down into that great big hole where the other sock goes? When? That’s because you can’t pick models from a TV show. Those tall, long giraffe things that don’t really look real are rare freaks of nature. And finding a freak of nature with a personality, that’s like finding a double freak of nature. So you’d have a TV show once every 10 years.

You announced this week that you aren’t coming back.
I didn’t announce that. I announced that I was fired on my birthday—April 9th They timed it beautifully.

Why did they let you go?
Well, they said that Top Model needs to trim the fat. So they cut me. It came as a little bit of a shock. I was a little upset that I was fired roughly four weeks before the new season was starting. I was being told to go have a physical for the show and then I got fired. I think they could have done that better.

Stupid recession.
Actually a lot of my friends from the show got booted, too. Makeup and hair people. And I shouldn’t say this because this sounds bitter. But if Tyra came in on time, they would save somebody’s salary. If she actually showed up on time for the judgings and they didn’t have to pay a lot of overtime, they would save a lot of money.

Do you think you did something to bring this on?
I did get pissy about Tyra being late a couple of times. I said, “I don’t think that’s right.” And they told me I had a big ego. So maybe that had something to do with it.

If they ask you to come back as a guest judge would you go back?
No. I think there’s a little too much bad blood. I mean I don’t wish them ill. But do I want them to blossom without me? No. I’m not going to lie.

Do you have any advice for future auditioners?
Yeah. Go to Top Model only if you don’t want to be a model. These girls want to be models so desperately. And the fact is the show is not even looking for fashion models. They’re looking for personalities. It’s a Cinderella story. But [many of] the girls who succeed on the show won’t succeed [in the industry] because they’re not models. I have become friends with some of the models on the show and they actually have lost jobs when it came out that they were on America’s Next Top Model, because the fashion industry will not touch those girls with a ten foot pole.

So they have to hide the fact that they were on the show?
Yeah. And if you’re a winner you can just flush yourself down the toilet. Unless you marry a Brady, in which case you have a career.

But some of the models, like Ya-Ya DaCosta, have found showbiz success.
Yes. Some of the ones who did not win have done much better than the winners for sure. But none of them have approached top model [status]. Out of the girls that we had this season: I think Aminat might have a future in shows because she’s a terrific walker, she has a great body, and she’s very tall. But that’s the closest anybody’s going to get to fashion.

A lot of young girls look up to the show and it really hasn’t produced a top model.
They haven’t and they won’t. And now they’re doing the short girls. Like that’s ever going to catch on in fashion. It might be terrific TV. But it’s not about reality.



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