Tyra Banks has filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix and the directors of Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, claiming the producers manipulated interviews to support a false narrative that she allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted.
Lawsuit Details
The lawsuit was filed on 13 June at a Los Angeles federal court. In it, the former host and creator of America's Next Top Model said she was interviewed for three and a half hours and that she took responsibility for some of the show's most controversial moments. However, she claimed that this interview was edited down to 16 minutes and manipulated to support a false and defamatory narrative unrelated to what she actually expressed.
According to the Guardian, her lawyers claimed that the accountability Ms Banks took ended up on the cutting room floor and that viewers were never given the opportunity to see it.
Documentary Content
The docuseries used interviews with the cast, producers and contestants of America's Next Top Model to explore the show's history and controversies. These included body shaming and problematic photoshoots, such as one where the cast had to race swap and another where a girl who lost her mother to gun violence had to pose as a victim of the same crime. Banks has addressed those criticisms and said that there was an insensitivity in some of the show's moments and some really off choices.
The Netflix series also featured an interview from a contestant who said she was assaulted on America's Next Top Model, and that, rather than protect her, the show used her trauma to boost ratings.
Allegations of Manipulation
Banks' lawsuit claimed the docuseries' producers edited her response and used deliberate omission to create a narrative that she allowed it to happen and then tried to evade the topic. The lawsuit stated, via the outlet, that 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, claiming that Banks wasn't asked about the assault during the interview.
They added that she was not allowed to review the docuseries until a day before it was released in February 2026 and that she was not contacted for fact checking or given an opportunity to respond to accusations from other participants in the series.
Impact and Legal Action
The lawyers said they asked Netflix for access to the entire footage of Banks' interviews in March and that this request was denied. They claimed the docuseries had a huge effect on Banks, as the public reaction was swift, harsh and directed squarely at Ms Banks and her related businesses, including her ice cream shop in Australia that was subjected to review bombing.
Banks is seeking damages in her lawsuit, as well as an injunction barring the use of her image in connection with the docuseries' soundtrack album.
The Associated Press reported that Banks' lawyers told them: 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. This lawsuit is that answer – particularly after her efforts to resolve the matter directly with Netflix and the producers were refused.
