Tyra Banks is suing Netflix for defamation after her appearance in the bombshell docuseries about her controversial hit show, America’s Next Top Model.
The supermodel, 52, filed a lawsuit Saturday accusing the streaming giant of misrepresenting her in Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model. She claimed that the three-part documentary was edited to manufacture a false and defamatory portrayal of her role as host, judge and executive producer on the long-running reality competition show.
“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, exploited that contestant’s trauma for ratings, and then could not even remember it when asked,” the lawsuit alleged.
“That narrative about Ms. Banks is a complete fabrication — one that Netflix streamed to a global audience of millions.”
The series examined ANTM’s controversies throughout its 24 seasons, including a contestant who claimed she was sexually assaulted on camera and alleged that producers did nothing to help her while they were filming.
Banks, who is featured in interviews throughout the project, said that she agreed to participate in the project because she wanted to have an honest discussion about the criticisms of the show, including its allegedly exploitative nature as one of the first reality shows on TV.
Instead, the lawsuit states that after Banks sat for a three-and-half-hour interview, only 16 minutes of her confessional was used and it was “stripped of context and reassembled to support a false and defamatory narrative unrelated to what she actually expressed.”
“Tyra Banks participated in the Netflix documentary series America’s Next Top Model (‘ANTM’) because she believed viewers deserved a candid conversation about the show’s legacy—its successes and its shortcomings,” the lawsuit said. “There are aspects of the show for which Ms. Banks takes accountability and she wanted ANTM viewers to hear that from her directly.”
Netflix did not immediately return The Independent’s request for comment.
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Banks is requesting a jury trial to determine damages for “loss of future business opportunities, loss of business income, other compounding losses as will be shown at trial.” No specific amount of money was listed in the complaint.
The filing alleges that the docuseries has damaged her ice cream brand, SMiZE & DREAM, as online ratings for the Australian business have “plummeted” since the doc’s release in February.
“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,” the lawsuit said.
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673). You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk.
