The weak state of the economy – not an off-screen catfight with host Tyra Banks – led to Paulina Porizkova’s birthday dismissal from America’s Next Top Model, the show’s executive producer told PEOPLE on Monday.

“I wouldn’t know [what kind of person Tyra is] because all I know of her is literally when we are on set talking to each other in front of the cameras. That is the only time she would speak to me,” Paulina said of her relationship with the Emmy-winning former supermodel, who allegedly fired her on April 9 — her birthday.

While Paulina recently claimed she was dismissed from the reality show after having “a little bit of an issue” with Tyra showing up more than an hour late for every judging, Top Model co-executive producer Ken Mok attributes the change in cast to a change in the economy.

“The current state of the economy has forced shows to make major budget cuts industry wide; and ‘America’s Next Top Model’ is not immune to these financially challenging times,” Mok said in a statement Monday. “We’ve had to make significant cuts in every area of the production and, unfortunately, Paulina was a casualty of these cuts.”