Jay Manuel

Jay Manuel is a Canadian television host, creative director, makeup artist, and author born on August 14, 1972. He is best known for serving as the creative director on the reality television show America's Next Top Model for its first eighteen seasons, as well as hosting Canada's Next Top Model.

Manuel was born in Springfield, Illinois, to a mother of Italian and Czech descent and a South African father of mixed Cape Malay descent. He was raised by adoptive parents in Toronto, where he attended Dr Norman Bethune Collegiate Institute and York University. Before entering the fashion industry, Manuel was a pre-med student and studied opera.

Manuel joined America's Next Top Model in 2003 as Creative Director for its first cycle. He featured on every cycle for nine years before deciding to leave after season 18. Manuel also hosted and served as lead judge for the second and third cycles of Canada's Next Top Model. Additionally, he played himself in an episode of Being Erica and made a cameo appearance in Degrassi Takes Manhattan.

In 2011, Manuel released a women's clothing line, Attitude Jay Manuel, for Sears Canada. He launched Jay Manuel Beauty in 2014 with support from supermodel Iman and her company Impala Inc., offering cosmetics designed to provide a filter finish. The line appeared on HSN in 2015 and QVC in the UK in 2016. In November 2017, the brand opened a physical store at Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, New York. However, planned expansions did not occur, the store closed by 2019, and the cosmetics brand became inactive.

In early 2017, Manuel served as one of the six final judges for Miss Universe 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In May 2020, he and Miss J. Alexander launched a weekly Instagram Live series discussing their experiences on America's Next Top Model, which was later syndicated to Facebook and YouTube. In 2020, Manuel also released his first book, titled The Wig, The Bitch & The Meltdown.

Manuel is openly gay and advocates for LGBTQ rights, having created an "It Gets Better" video in 2011. He serves as a Smile Ambassador for Operation Smile and works with Dress for Success. He has also hosted the GLAAD Media Awards, Fashion Cares in Toronto benefiting AIDS research, and the American Image Awards benefiting the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.