Tyra Banks sued Netflix for defamation on Saturday, claiming that her testimony was manipulated for the Netflix documentary series “America’s Next Top Model.”
Banks is suing Netflix, 89 Blocks Holdings, Everwonder Studios, Netflix Music, and co-directors Mo Rousey and Daniel Sivan for false light, implied defamation, breach of contract, and false endorsement. In a complaint obtained by Variety, Banks’ lawyers claim the former ANTM host gave a “three-and-a-half hour” interview on “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model,” which was cut to “approximately 16 minutes.” What was left behind was “reconstructed to support a false and defamatory narrative unrelated to what she actually expressed,” according to the complaint. He added that “Mr. Banks’ responsibility” for some of the show’s shortcomings “ultimately ended up being laid on the editing room floor.”
“Worse still, the false narrative that the producers constructed through selective editing, deliberate omissions, and surgical manipulation of footage sequences included that Mr. Banks knowingly allowed a cast member to be sexually assaulted on his show, exploited that cast member’s trauma for ratings purposes, and then failed to recall it when asked,” the suit says. “That story about Ms. Banks is a complete fabrication and was streamed by Netflix to millions of viewers around the world.”
A representative for Netflix did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.
The lawsuit points to one “egregious example of producer manipulation to create a false narrative” involving “ANTM” Cycle 2 contestant Shadni Sullivan.
“For the past 20 years, one of the areas of interest in ANTM concerned one night when Ms. Sullivan became inebriated, had sex with a man in Milan, and promptly confessed her infidelity to her long-term boyfriend,” the complaint states. “In the Netflix series, Ms. Sullivan is depicted describing the incident as an assault, something Ms. Banks had never heard before and was not mentioned in the interview. Withholding that information, Ms. Rousey asks Ms. Banks, “Do you remember what you talked about with Shandy?” In the episode, Ms. Banks looks up and says, “Um,” and the screen goes black. The implications of this are both devastating and intentional: Tyra Banks cannot remember the stories of women who have been assaulted on her show. ”
Bank’s lawyers claim that the “full, unedited footage” shows her nodding “yes” and saying, “I remember what she said.”
Banks, who hosted “America’s Next Top Model” for 22 episodes starting in 2003, is asking the jury to recommend an “appropriate” amount of punitive damages for the violations.
