Tyra Banks has filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix, alleging that her interview for the docuseries 'Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model' was 'surgically manipulated' to create a false narrative. The lawsuit, obtained by Variety, claims that Banks gave a three-and-a-half-hour interview, which was cut to about 16 minutes and reassembled to imply she knowingly allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted and exploited the trauma for ratings.
The suit names Netflix, 89 Blocks Holdings, EverWonder Studio, Netflix Music, and co-directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan as defendants. It alleges false light, defamation by implication, breach of contract, and false endorsement. Banks' lawyers argue that the producers selectively edited footage to suggest she could not remember the story of contestant Shadni Sullivan, who described an incident in Milan as an assault—something Banks says she was never told during her interview.
According to the lawsuit, the unedited footage shows Banks nodding and saying she remembers Sullivan's story, contradicting the docuseries' portrayal. The suit states: 'The false narrative the producers constructed—through selective editing, deliberate omission, and surgical manipulation of continuous footage—included that Ms. Banks knowingly allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted on her show.'
Banks, who hosted 'America's Next Top Model' for 22 cycles starting in 2003, is seeking a jury trial and punitive damages. Netflix has not yet responded to requests for comment.
