Paulina Porizkova attends the New York Inaugural Royal Gala presented by the Mentor Foundation at the Waldorf Astoria on November 20, 2008 in New York City. Charles Eshelman/FilmMagicUs Magazine
Although
America's Next Top Model judge
Paulina Porizkova claims
she was fired from the hit CW show because of her "ego," the show's producer says it's all to do with the economy.
"The current state of the economy has forced shows to make major budget cuts industry wide, and
Americas Next Top Model is not immune to these financially challenging times," Ken Mok,
ANTM's executive producer, told Usmagazine.com in a statement Monday.
See unforgettable reality show catfightsHe added: "We've had to make significant cuts in every area of the production and, unfortunately, Paulina was a casualty of these cuts."
The former supermodel, who said she was axed over the phone on her birthday, wasn't convinced it was the show's need to "cut some fat" that got her canned.
See then-and-now pics of your favorite 90s models!"I figured it was either that or my gigantic huge ego," she said. "Which I wasn't aware of until I was told by the producers that I have an ego problem."
Mok added that co-executive producer and host
Tyra Banks was upset by the decision to cut Porizkova, 44, from the show.
See photos of Tyra Banks' sexy style."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," Mok told Us. "We really enjoyed working with Paulina, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors."
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