LOS ANGELES, CA. (THECOUNT) — Tyra Banks has filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix, alleging the streaming giant and producers of the docuseries “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model” manipulated footage from a lengthy interview to create a false and damaging portrayal of her involvement in events discussed by former contestants.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Banks claims more than three hours of recorded interview footage was reduced to approximately 16 minutes and edited in a manner that supported what she describes as a “false and defamatory narrative.”
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The lawsuit alleges producers used selective editing, omitted relevant context, and manipulated continuous footage in a way that suggested Banks knowingly allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted during production of the reality television series and later failed to remember the incident when questioned.
Banks denies those allegations and contends the program misrepresented both her knowledge of the events and her responses during filming.
The lawsuit centers in part on comments made by former “America’s Next Top Model” contestant Shandi Sullivan, who participated in the docuseries and discussed an incident she characterized as a sexual assault that allegedly occurred during production of the show’s second cycle.
During the documentary, Banks stated she remembered Sullivan’s storyline but said, “It’s a little difficult for me to talk about production because that’s not my territory.”
According to the complaint, Banks was unaware Sullivan would appear in the documentary and was not informed that Sullivan would characterize her experience as a sexual assault.
The lawsuit argues the editing created the impression that Banks either ignored or forgot an alleged assault involving a contestant on her television program.
“The implication is devastating and deliberate: that Tyra Banks cannot even remember the story of the woman who was assaulted on her show,” the complaint states.
Banks rose to prominence as a supermodel before creating and hosting “America’s Next Top Model,” which aired for multiple seasons and became one of the most successful reality competition programs of its era.
Netflix had not publicly responded to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit as of publication.
The case seeks damages and other relief to be determined through court proceedings.
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