Tyra Banks, creator and former host of America's Next Top Model, has initiated legal action against Netflix and the producers of its recent docuseries, claiming the film employed misleading editing techniques to misrepresent her involvement in controversial incidents. The lawsuit, filed Saturday in Los Angeles federal court, names directors Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy as well as EverWonder Studio as defendants and seeks damages plus an injunction preventing use of her image in connection with the documentary's soundtrack album.
At the heart of Banks' legal challenge is the assertion that producers used "selective editing, deliberate omission, and surgical manipulation of continuous footage" to construct a misleading narrative. Specifically, the suit contends that the Netflix series distorts her responses during interviews to suggest she was aware of and deliberately avoiding discussion of a sexual assault incident on the show. According to her legal team, Banks was never informed of this topic during the interview sessions.
Banks' attorneys highlight what they characterise as unfair documentary practices, noting she received access to the finished series merely 24 hours before its February 16 release date. The legal filing indicates Netflix declined multiple requests for footage access and fact-checking opportunities after filming concluded. Additionally, her lawyers argue that certain former judges consulted on the project harboured personal grievances against Banks, raising questions about editorial independence.
The reality competition show, which debuted in 2003 and ran for 24 seasons, has faced renewed scrutiny in recent years regarding body shaming practices, contestant manipulation, and insensitive photoshoots. Banks herself previously acknowledged "the insensitivity of past ANTM moments" and poor editorial decisions from the show's history. However, her legal team contends that whatever accountability she demonstrated during filming was deliberately excised from the final cut.
Since the docuseries' debut, Banks has experienced what the lawsuit describes as "swift, harsh" public backlash. The repercussions have extended to her commercial interests, with her ice cream shop SMiZE & DREAM in Sydney, Australia, experiencing review bombing on Google. Her legal representatives argue they attempted resolution with Netflix and the producers through direct communication in March, requests that were reportedly refused, prompting the formal lawsuit.
