Despite being off the air for years now, few reality shows loom as large in the culture as America’s Next Top Model, especially for the gays.
Beyond setting the template for other reality competition TV shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race, ANTM—as its become colloquially known—has given us so many iconic and unforgettable moments, from endlessly quotable Tyra Banks freak-outs to ethically dubious photoshoot challenges.
It also introduced so many impressionable viewers to the debonair, square-jawed charms of Nigel Barker, the celebrity photographer who would become the show’s longest-running judge.
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With his posh British accent, wry smile, and eye for style, Barker’s presence on the ANTM panel was responsible for many a sexual awakening among the show’s robust “baby gay” viewership. His critiques were often tough but fair, and his ability to stay calm and cool when things flew off the handle on the show (as they frequently did) made him all the more alluring.
While the now 52-year-old is straight—he’s been married to model Cristen Chin since 1999—that didn’t stop him from becoming a truly formative crush for so many of us.
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So, what’s he been up to lately? More like: What hasn’t he been up to lately. Barker’s kept busy post-ANTM as a creative director, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and he even launched his own namesake brand of bottled espresso martinis.
And, no shade, but none of those endeavors have brought him the level of attention he received during his reality TV heyday. Well, not until he took his shirt off, that is…
In late September, Barker posted a shirtless selfie—pecs akimbo—from what appears to be his home gym, mentioning he was “getting pumped to blitz the New York market” with his patented Barker Company Espresso Martinis, complete with a link to the brand’s site.
Was it a super savvy and intentional thirst trap to bring some attention to his new company, or was it an accidental confluence of promo and pectorals? Either way, it worked. On X, his photo post has tens of thousands of likes, and the replies are filled with people shooting their shot with the 52-year-old photographer:
I wanna taste it—the espresso martini I mean
— Meech (@MediumSizeMeech) September 24, 2024
do you come with the each espresso martini or…🕵🏾♂️🕵🏾♂️ pic.twitter.com/g5sYbyyMIo
— mikeijames (@mikeijames) September 23, 2024
Nice tits
— Craig Wright (@richcraigwright) September 23, 2024
Some important context here: Prior to the “getting pumped” photo, Barker wasn’t exactly recognized as a thirst trap king. In fact, most of his previous X posts were either very standard Baker martini promos or the man’s daily Wordle and crossword scores. Not exactly stimulating.
Oh, sure, he’d post an occasional gym selfie, though he was usually fully clothed in those. The ecstatic response to that shirtless shot, however, seems to have changed things in terms of how Barker hawks his products. It’s also reignited the passion for him not seen since his ANTM glory days.
A number of his posts since have adopted a similar “tactic”:
Beefy, bald, babely, and not bashful about showing off the bod, do we have a new Christopher Meloni on our hands? Not unlike the Law & Order hottie, Barker seems to be leaning into his daddy era, and the internet is loving it.
And, yes, the gays in particular are eating it up. In between gasping at astonishment at the wild things Tyra Banks would have the models do on ANTM, we’d sit their day-dreaming about Barker, so it’s a thrill to know that over 20 years later, the man is still an uncomplicated hottie.
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He even appears to be pretty receptive of all the gay attention. When Brandon Lim—best known as Trixie Mattel’s assistant—tweeted about Barker’s thirst traps with an eyeball emoji 👀, the noted fashion photographer gave him a like! We see him, and he sees us!
In other words: Nigel, keep up the thirst content, and we promise we’ll quench that thirst with one of your espresso martinis!
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