Tyra Banks takes Netflix to court over shocking documentary claims

Tyra Banks is no longer just responding to criticism of America’s Next Top Model – she’s taking the fight to court.

The former supermodel and TV mogul has filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix, accusing the streamer of turning what was marketed as a documentary into something far different.

According to court filings, Bank argues that Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model was presented as fact-based journalism.

"Netflix called it 'the definitive, must-watch chronicle of America's Next Top Model.' The genre matters. Viewers of a documentary do not expect manufactured drama or constructed narratives. They expect facts.”

At the center of the dispute is the series’ handling of allegations made by former contestant Shandi Sullivan, who claimed she was sexually assaulted while filming in Italy during Cycle 2. 

Banks insits the documentary unfairly edited footage to suggest she bore responsibility.

“The false narrative the producers constructed—through selective editing, deliberate omission, and surgical manipulation of continuous footage—included that Ms Banks knowingly allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted on her show, exploited that contestant's trauma for ratings, and then could not even remember it when asked,” the filing stated.

“That narrative about Ms Banks is a complete fabrication—one that Netflix streamed to a global audience of millions."

Banks says she participated in the project to address both the highs and lows of the long-running reality franchise, but claims key moments were left on the cutting-room floor.

“Her answers were very honest. But the story that viewers heard was the deceptive story producers chose to tell,” the lawsuit alleged.

The legal battle adds another dramatic chapter to the legacy of America’s Next Top Model – and this time, the judging panel may be replaced by a courtroom.