Tyra Banks filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix on Saturday over its docuseries Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model. The suit claims the series created a false narrative about her through selective editing of her interview.
Banks, the creator and host of America's Next Top Model, alleges that producers used only 16 minutes from her three-and-a-half-hour interview. The footage was edited to imply she knowingly allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted and could not remember the incident.
The lawsuit, filed in California federal court, names Netflix, co-directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan, and related entities. It accuses them of false light, defamation by implication, breach of contract, and false endorsement.
Banks states she had no prior knowledge that contestant Shandi Sullivan would describe her experience as a sexual assault in the series. She claims the full interview showed her affirming she remembered the story, but that portion was removed.
The suit seeks damages for reputational harm, lost business opportunities, and mental anguish. Netflix declined to comment on the matter.
