Tyra Banks Sues Netflix Over ANTM Docuseries Editing
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Tyra Banks filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix over the 'America's Next Top Model' docuseries 'Reality Check,' alleging producers selectively edited her interview to construct a 'false and defamatory narrative' about her
- The lawsuit states Banks sat for a four-hour interview with the docuseries' filmmakers, of which only 16 minutes appeared in the final cut
- The suit alleges the editing created a false claim that Banks knowingly allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted, exploited the trauma for ratings, and then could not remember it — a narrative the lawsuit calls 'a complete fabrication' streamed to millions
- The lawsuit centers on Season Two contestant Shandi Sullivan, who told Rolling Stone her on-show cheating scandal was sexual assault and that Banks 'treat[s] people as cash cow[s] instead of humans'
- The suit alleges the unedited footage shows Banks nodding affirmatively and saying 'I do remember her story' before an upward glance — a sequence producers 'carved' and 'cut off' so viewers saw only the false implication
- Banks is seeking a jury trial to determine the 'appropriate' amount of damages from Netflix
Why it matters: Banks is seeking a jury trial over an allegation — streamed to Netflix's global audience of millions — that she knowingly allowed a contestant's sexual assault. A win rehabilitates her reputation on that core claim, while the lawsuit itself puts the docuseries' editorial process under legal scrutiny.
