Tyra Banks Is Returning to Reality TV in Fashionable New Role

Tyra Banks is set to make a fashionable return to reality television this summer.

The supermodel and entrepreneur joins season 22 of Project Runway as a recurring judge, Freeform announced in a recent press release.

“This could be iconic,” Banks says in the teaser for the new season, which debuts July 9 on Freeform, Hulu and Disney+.

The fashion insider is no stranger to reality TV after creating America’s Next Top Model, which debuted in 2003, and ran for 24 cycles — first on UPN and later on The CW and VH1. The series became a global sensation, but years later faced controversy for the way the show’s aspiring models were treated.

On Project Runway, Banks will be seated alongside returning judges Heidi Klum, Law Roach and Nina Garcia. Red carpet designer and series alum Christian Siriano is back as mentor.

Freeform said this will be the “biggest season ever,” with a record 22 up-and-coming designers making the cut in honor of the show’s 22nd season.

The new season will feature celebrity guest judges Ciara, Fausto Puglisi, Ice Spice, Iman, Kiernan Shipka, Niecy Nash, Nina Dobrev, Sergio Hudson, Willy Chavarria and Winnie Harlow.

There will also be a nod to Dancing With the Stars when members of the show’s cast hit the catwalk, including Brandon Armstrong, Alan Bersten, Val Chmerkovskiy, Jenna Johnson, Emma Slater, Ezra Sosa, Britt Stewart, and Julianne Hough.

The stars of Hulu’s “Get Real” universe — Charity Lawson (The Bachelorette), Sarah Jane Nader (Love Thy Nader), Ekin-Su (Vanderpump Villa) and Project Runway season 21 winner Veejay Floresca — will also appear as models on the upcoming season.

Project Runway debuted in 2004 on Bravo. The fashion design competition later moved to Lifetime before finding a new home on Freeform, a cable channel that’s part of the Disney entertainment empire.

In addition to Siriano, series competitors Kara Sau, Dmitry Sholokhov, Michael Costello, Anthony Williams, Mondo Guerra and others found success as designers after appearing on the show.

The new season is produced by Spyglass Media Group and Alfred Street Industries. Executive producers include Gary Barber and Sean Hoagland for Spyglass and Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, Nan Strait and Dan Volpe for Alfred Street Industries.

Michael Rucker serves as showrunner and executive producer, with San Heng and Nicole Sorrenti. Klum, Siriano, Garcia, and Roach are co-executive producers.

Project Runway returns July 9 at 9:30 p.m. EDT/PDT on Freeform. Each episode will stream shortly after on Hulu and Disney+, followed by weekly airings.