LOS ANGELES – Tyra Banks, the famous model and creator of the reality TV show “America’s Next Top Model,” has taken a bold step by filing a defamation lawsuit against Netflix and the directors of the docuseries “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.” She claims that the producers manipulated her interview footage to create a misleading story about her involvement with the show.
In her lawsuit, filed on Saturday in Los Angeles federal court, Banks mentioned that she gave a 3½ hour interview where she accepted responsibility for some of the show’s more controversial moments. However, she alleges that this extensive interview was cut down to just 16 minutes, twisting her words to support a false narrative.
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“The accountability Ms. Banks took ended up on the cutting room floor. It was there, but viewers were never given the opportunity to see it,” her lawyers stated.
In her lawsuit, Banks is seeking damages not only from Netflix but also from the directors Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy and EverWonder Studio. Additionally, she wants an injunction to prevent her image from being used in connection with the docuseries’ soundtrack, which was released as an album.
“America’s Next Top Model” first aired in 2003 and ran for an impressive 24 seasons. Recently, it has faced criticism for practices like body shaming and manipulating contestants, prompting Banks to acknowledge the insensitivity of some past moments on the show.
The lawsuit claims that the Netflix docuseries used “selective editing, deliberate omission, and surgical manipulation of continuous footage” to suggest that Banks allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted on the show and later evaded questions about it in her interview.
“Defendants edited the Netflix Series to make it appear that Ms. Banks knew she was being asked about a sexual assault and was intentionally trying to evade the topic,” the lawsuit contends, emphasizing that Banks was never informed about the assault during her interview.
Her legal team asserts that she wasn’t allowed to review the docuseries until just one day before its release on February 16. They argue that she was not contacted for fact-checking, nor given a chance to respond to allegations made by other participants in the series.
Furthermore, the lawsuit mentions that other judges from the show, including one whom her lawyers believe holds a grudge against Banks, had significant involvement in shaping the docuseries. “Had Ms. Banks known these individuals were so deeply involved in the formulation of the Netflix Series, it would have raised a red flag,” the lawsuit states.
In March, Banks’ lawyers reached out to Netflix to request access to the full footage of her interviews, but the request was denied. Following the release of the docuseries, she faced significant backlash, with even her ice cream shop, SMiZE & DREAM in Sydney, Australia, experiencing negative reviews online.
“Every other conversation about ANTM’s legacy — including the candid reflection Ms. Banks came prepared to have — is now drowned out by an accusation she was never given the chance to answer,” her lawyers stated. “This lawsuit is that answer — particularly after her efforts to resolve the matter directly with Netflix and the producers were refused.”
