On the latest episode of Just the Sip, the makeup artist opened up about his experience filming America's Next Top Model and discussed his relationship with former co-star Tyra Banks. This conversation came amid Manuel's press tour for his debut novel, titled The Wig, The Bitch & The Meltdown. While Manuel's novel is a work of fiction, he made sure to spill his truth to E!'s own Justin Sylvester. Per the famed makeup artist, filming ANTM "started off bubble gum and roses" but shifted as time went on. Even though Manuel held the title of Creative Director on the show, not all creative decisions were made by him. In fact, as he previously discussed in Variety, after a few unfortunate incidents, Manuel signed on for additional cycles, but his friendship with Banks "never really recovered." Thankfully, "things did get better" between the colleagues, allowing for some "very magical, fun moments" on ANTM.