Former supermodel Tyra Banks has filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix, accusing the streaming platform’s docuseries, “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model,” of distorting her interview footage to create a misleading portrayal. The three-part series, launched in February, aimed to delve into some of the controversial aspects of the long-running reality show “America’s Next Top Model” (ANTM), which aired from 2003 to 2018.
Addressing contentious issues like extreme makeovers involving Blackface and brownface photoshoots, as well as allegations of sexual misconduct by a Season 2 contestant, the docuseries was criticized by writer Amil Niazi for offering a superficial apology. Banks, the show’s creator and host, claims in the lawsuit that she took more responsibility than depicted in the series.
According to court documents revealed by CBC News, Banks alleges that her three-and-a-half-hour interview was condensed to just 16 minutes and edited in a manner that supported a false and defamatory narrative, diverging significantly from her actual statements.
The lawsuit specifically mentions former ANTM contestant Shandi Sullivan from Season 2, who disclosed in the docuseries that a bed incident in Milan, portrayed as infidelity, was, in fact, a sexual assault, a detail Banks supposedly was unaware of until the interview. The lawsuit contends that Banks was prepared to address the show’s legacy and shortcomings during the interview but that this aspect of accountability was omitted from the final cut of “Reality Check.”
Described as a documentary in the lawsuit, “Reality Check” garnered significant viewership on Netflix, with Variety reporting 14.2 million views in the first week. Banks is seeking damages in an unspecified amount and an injunction to prevent the use of her image related to the docuseries’ soundtrack, which was released earlier this year. Netflix and the defendants’ representatives have not responded to CBC News’s request for comment.
