Tyra Banks is suing Netflix for defamation, claiming she was manipulated into participating in the streamer’s documentary Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.
“Tyra Banks participated in the Netflix documentary series “America’s Next Top Model” (“ANTM”) because she believed viewers should openly discuss the show’s legacy — its successes and shortcomings,” the lawsuit filed Saturday says, according to People.
“There are aspects of the show that Ms. Banks is responsible for, and she wanted ANTM viewers to hear that directly from her.”
“Ms. Banks attended the interview and did not limit the ANTM topics that the interviewer could ask questions about,” the lawsuit continues. “During the three-and-a-half hour interview, Ms. Banks answered questions about the show’s groundbreaking history, including criticism of her decision to take a different approach than today.”
The former supermodel claims that only 16 minutes of her three-hour interview with producers made it into the final product, and that the clips used were “taken out of context and reassembled to support a false and defamatory narrative unrelated to what she actually expressed.”
“The Netflix series ‘Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model’ (the ‘Netflix Series’) was sold to viewers as a ‘documentary series,'” the lawsuit continued.
“Netflix calls it “the definitive, must-see chronicle of ‘America’s Next Top Model.” Genre is important. Documentary viewers don’t expect manufactured drama or constructed narratives. They expect facts. “That’s exactly how viewers interacted with the Netflix series because they were promised a documentary,” the lawsuit adds.
As you may remember, Banks was responsible for many of the controversial storylines that appeared on the reality modeling competition series.
Although some of her comments were dismissed from the cleared edit, Banks also appears to take issue with a few remaining topics, namely former contestant Shandi Sullivan’s testimony on the show.
In the documentary series, Ms Sullivan alleges that the Cycle 2 contestant was sexually assaulted by a male model while in Italy. Videos from the season showed Sullivan drinking wine and partying with the women and other male models, then getting into bed with one of them.
The former model told viewers that she blacked out when the exchange took place. However, the reality show framed the incident as a cheating scandal (Sullivan had a boyfriend at the time) rather than an assault allegation.
Another video shows Banks admitting to knowing about the alleged assault, but denying any involvement in producing or editing the story.
“Worse still, the false narrative that the producers concocted through selective editing, deliberate omissions, and surgical manipulation of footage sequences included that Ms. Banks knowingly allowed a cast member to be sexually assaulted on her show, exploited that performer’s trauma for ratings purposes, and then failed to recall it when asked. That story about Ms. Banks was a complete fabrication and was streamed by Netflix to millions of viewers around the world.”
Banks also pushed back against claims that she shut down production during one cycle after a staff member reported that a regular cast member of “ANTM” had behaved inappropriately.
“That reaction would not have been hypothetical; it would have been 20 based on what Ms. Banks actually did during one cycle, after a staff member directly reported to Ms. Banks that another regular member of the ANTM cast engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct during the production of ANTM,” the lawsuit continues.
“Ms. Banks immediately shared the report with other executives and ensured that the issue was escalated to the network,” the complaint adds. “Ms. Banks acted immediately and took the seriousness this matter deserved. In response, production was paused so that all cast and crew could undergo sexual harassment training from outside experts.”
Banks is seeking a jury trial to determine the “appropriate” amount of damages she should receive.
A rep for the model did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment, and Netflix did not respond.
