The lawsuit against Netflix
Tyra Banks has filed a lawsuit against Netflix for defamation. The model and businesswoman accuses the platform of manipulating her participation in Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, the docuseries about the reality show that she produced and hosted for more than a decade.
According to the lawsuit filed this week, Banks gave a three-and-a-half-hour interview. Of the entire conversation, the final edit only used 16 minutes. The businesswoman claims that the selected fragments were taken out of context and rearranged to support a false narrative.
“Netflix promoted it as the definitive and essential chronicle of America’s Next Top Model. Gender matters. Those who watch a documentary do not expect manufactured drama or constructed narratives; they expect facts.”
The accusations and the defense
The production addressed controversies on the show, such as the testimony of former contestant Shandi Sullivan. She claimed to have been a victim of sexual assault during the second season and that the production presented the event as infidelity. Banks appears in the documentary acknowledging the accusations, but says she was not involved in the editing.
In the lawsuit, the model maintains that the producers implied that she knowingly allowed the assault and exploited the trauma to gain an audience. “That narrative is a complete fabrication that Netflix broadcast to millions,” the document states.
Banks also responded to allegations of inappropriate behavior by a cast member. According to his version, upon receiving the report he shared it with executives and the matter was escalated to the television network. Additionally, production was suspended to train the crew on sexual harassment.
The businesswoman demands compensation for damages that includes loss of business opportunities and decreased income. The premiere of the docuseries divided opinions: some former contestants defended it, others shared negative experiences.
