Tyra Banks Sues Netflix Over America's Next Top Model Documentary

Tyra Banks is suing Netflix over the America's Next Top Model documentary that was released earlier this year. She is unhappy with how her interview section in Reality Check was shown.

The lawsuit, filed on June 13, claims the series was sold to viewers as a documentary series and that Netflix called it 'the definitive, must-watch chronicle of America's Next Top Model.' However, the lawsuit argues that viewers got a 'defamatory narrative' instead of the facts.

According to the lawsuit, Tyra Banks believed viewers deserved a candid conversation about the show's legacy - its successes and shortcomings - but claims moments where she took accountability for ANTM's controversies were edited out.

The lawsuit states that the false narrative the producers constructed - through selective editing, deliberate omission, and surgical manipulation of continuous footage - included that Tyra Banks knowingly allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted on her show, exploited the contestant's trauma for ratings, and then couldn't even remember it when asked. This narrative about Tyra Banks is a complete fabrication - one that Netflix streamed to a global audience of millions.

It's alleged that Tyra's answers were very honest, but the story that viewers heard was the deceptive story producers chose to tell.

Following the release of the documentary, there was a perception that Tyra Banks didn't come across well, and people questioned how much control she had over the final edit. The documentary's producer, Vanessa Golembewski, defended their approach, stating that they told the stories truthfully and fairly, and that Tyra Banks' involvement was as an interview subject only.

The documentary Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model is available on Netflix now.

It seems that Tyra Banks may have underestimated the consequences of participating in this documentary. As the saying goes, 'That's when people appreciate you - when you're not there anymore.'