Tyra Banks Sues Netflix for America’s Next Top Model Doc
Tyra Banks has taken legal action against Netflix for defamation, alleging that her testimony was manipulated in the streaming platform’s recent docuseries on “America’s Next Top Model.”
In the lawsuit filed on Saturday, Banks is suing Netflix, along with 89 Blocks Holdings, EverWonder Studio, Netflix Music, and co-directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan, for false light, defamation by implication, breach of contract, and false endorsement. According to details from the lawsuit obtained by Variety, Banks claims that she gave a three-and-a-half-hour interview for the docuseries, only for it to be condensed to around 16 minutes. The suit contends that the edited footage was reassembled to create a false and defamatory narrative that was not reflective of her actual statements. It also alleges that Banks’ acknowledgment of certain shortcomings in the show was omitted from the final cut.
The lawsuit further states that the producers of the docuseries used selective editing and manipulation of footage to portray Banks in a negative light. One specific example highlighted in the suit involves a contestant from cycle two of “ANTM,” Shadni Sullivan. The suit explains that Sullivan’s account of an incident in Milan, where she was intoxicated and had intercourse with a man, was portrayed as an assault in the docuseries without Banks’ knowledge during the interview. The implication that Banks could not recall the story was deemed deliberate and damaging.
Banks’ legal team asserts that the full, unedited footage of the interview actually shows her confirming that she remembered Sullivan’s story. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial to determine appropriate punitive damages for the alleged defamation.
Netflix has not yet responded to requests for comment on the lawsuit.
The controversy surrounding the docuseries has brought into question the ethical practices of reality TV production and the responsibility of platforms like Netflix in presenting truthful narratives. Tyra Banks’ legal action against Netflix serves as a reminder of the importance of integrity in storytelling and the potential consequences of misrepresentation in media.
