Paulina Porizkova was apparently a casualty of the current economic recession.
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"The current state of the economy has forced shows to make major budget cuts industry wide," said Banks and Mok in a joint statement obtained by People. "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."
Banks and Mok's joint statement is consistent with the reason Porizkova gave for her firing when she first revealed it during a May 12 appearance on CBS' The Late Late Show.
"Just to be fair here, the reason I was told I was fired was because, it seemed that America's Next Top Model had gotten too fat and they needed to cut some fat and the fat was me," Porizkova told host Craig Ferguson.
The CW subsequently confirmed that Porizkova would not be returning to the show. She had been a member of Top Model's judging panel beginning with the show's Spring 2008 tenth edition, replacing former supermodel Twiggy.
"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," reads the statement, according to People. "We really enjoyed working with Paulina, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors."
America's Next Top Model's thirteenth season -- which just finished casting -- is scheduled to air this fall.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
