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Tyra Banks Sues Netflix for Defamation

Banks says Netflix used selective editing to build a damaging narrative from hours of interview footage.

Tyra Banks is suing Netflix.

​Banks claims the streaming giant twisted her words in a recent documentary about “America’s Next Top Model” and damaged her reputation.

In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court on Saturday, Banks says the docuseries was edited to make it seem like she tolerated serious misconduct on the show, according to the Associated Press.

Banks says she sat for a three-and-a-half-hour interview for “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model,” but that only 16 minutes of her comments made it into the final cut. Her lawsuit alleges the footage was rearranged and stripped of context to push a false story that she allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted on the program and then forgot about it when asked later.

“The accountability Ms. Banks took ended up on the cutting room floor. It was there, but viewers were never given the opportunity to see it,” wrote her lawyers, per the AP.

The case centers on how Netflix framed the reality franchise’s messy legacy. The three-episode series delves into both the show’s impact and its most criticized moments, including accusations of exploitation, racism, and a contestant’s claim that she was sexually assaulted on set. Banks says she was not told the interview would be used to support those claims in that way.

The lawsuit names Netflix, the directors Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy, and EverWonder Studio as defendants, and Banks seeks damages as well as an injunction tied to the show’s soundtrack album. Banks also argues that the documentary hurt her business prospects and personal brand.

In recent years, clips of “America’s Next Top Model” resurfaced online, particularly on TikTok, as a younger audience began sharing controversial clips of the show.

For those who grew up watching early seasons of “America’s Next Top Model,” the case adds a new twist to the debate over what reality TV owes its stars — and what streaming platforms can do with the footage long after the cameras stop rolling.

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