Tyra Banks is going to war with Netflix.
The supermodel and America’s Next Top Model creator filed a defamation and breach of contract lawsuit against the streaming giant on Saturday, June 13, in California federal court over her portrayal in Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.
The explosive three-part docuseries premiered on Feb. 16, and looked back on the popular but controversial reality show. The docuseries included interviews with former contestants, who said they were traumatized after being told to undergo cosmetic dental surgery to remain in the modeling competition.
Another contestant alleged she was sexually assaulted on camera while intoxicated, and no one from the production stopped the assault. Others talked about being subjected to scary and sometimes dangerous modeling challenges.
Related: ‘ANTM’ Winner Eva Marcille Explains Why She Was Missing From Netflix Doc
Banks also appeared in the docuseries and seemed indifferent when asked about the way the women were treated. “I knew I went too far,” she said. “It was very, very intense. But [fans] were demanding it and so we kept pushing more and more and more.”
In the 65-page lawsuit obtained by Deadline, Banks said producers created a “false narrative” about her by using “selective editing, deliberate omission, and surgical manipulation of continuous footage.”
“Of the hours of answers Ms. Banks provided, the producers used only about sixteen minutes,” the lawsuit says. “The producers used what could be stripped of context and reassembled to support a false and defamatory narrative unrelated to what she actually expressed.”
The complaint adds that the supermodel’s true opinions were not included in the docuseries.
“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,” according to the lawsuit.
“Going into her interview, Ms. Banks did not limit the ANTM topics the interviewer could ask,” the lawsuit adds. “During a three-and-a-half-hour interview, Ms. Banks answered questions about the show’s groundbreaking history, including criticism of decisions she would approach differently today.”
The complaint names Netflix, 89 Blocks Holdings, EverWonder Studio, Netflix Music, and directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan as defendants. Banks is asking for a jury trial to determine the “appropriate” amount of damages she should receive.
Netflix declined comment on the lawsuit, Deadline said in its article.
In the 1990s, Banks made history as the first African-American woman featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She became an entrepreneur and launched ANTM in 2003. Ken Mok and Kenya Barris developed the series.
The show became a global hit and ran for 24 seasons, first on UPN and later on The CW and VH1. There were also international versions of the competition.
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