ATLANTA — A familiar face from America’s Next Top Model is in Atlanta, not to judge a runway walk, but to launch a new business. He also opened up about the reality show drama that made him a household name.
Channel 2’s Karyn Greer spoke 1-on-1 with Nigel Barker about the legacy of the series and why he says Atlanta is the perfect location for his next move.
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“I love Atlanta, I’ve always liked it. I think that it was also a really popular place for America’s Next Top Model. The actual city, we would do many events here during the show,” Barker said.
Barker was the cool, unflappable photographer on “America’s Next Top Model,” and the judge with the sharp eye and softer touch.
Barker’s visit to Atlanta and our WSB-TV studios comes after a new Netflix documentary pulled back the curtain. “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model” revived old controversies and exposed behind the scenes drama the Barker and the other judges say they never saw until the episodes aired.
“We would watch some of this stuff in real time ourselves and say, why are we doing this? And even question it publicly as to what was going on. But the reality was is that producers, the networks, everybody was sort of in on what was happening,” Barker told Greer.
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While the online debate over accountability rages on, Barker is looking ahead at the portfolio he has built from a furniture brand, a book collab with superstar Taylor Swift and a line of spirits.
“Atlanta and Georgia was the second state in the country that we launched in, and is to date our second busiest state. People love a good espresso martinis, and Barker’s has been very popular,” he said.
Barker told Greer that he is always looking at new opportunities to expand his portfolio. He said when you see him in Atlanta, say hello. He’s always here.