Tyra Banks Sues Netflix Over ANTM Docuseries
Tyra Banks Netflix defamation lawsuit
Tyra Banks has filed a federal defamation lawsuit in Los Angeles against Netflix, EverWonder Studio, and the directors of the three-part docuseries Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model. The lawsuit, filed on June 13, 2026, alleges that producers engaged in “selective editing, deliberate omission, and surgical manipulation” of her three-and-a-half-hour interview to construct a false and defamatory narrative.
Banks claims that only 16 minutes of her lengthy interview were utilized, with critical context and her expressions of accountability for the show’s past shortcomings being removed.
At the heart of the legal action is the portrayal of an incident involving former contestant Shandi Sullivan from the show’s second season.
The lawsuit contends that the docuseries misleadingly edited footage to imply that Banks knowingly permitted the sexual assault of a contestant and subsequently failed to remember the event. Specifically, the suit alleges that producers omitted Banks’ affirmative response regarding her memory of Sullivan’s story, instead cutting the footage to make it appear as though she was evasive. Banks maintains that she was never informed prior to or during her interview that Sullivan had characterized the Milan incident as a sexual assault.
Banks is seeking general and special damages for severe reputational harm, mental anguish, and loss of business opportunities, citing incidents such as the review bombing of her Sydney-based ice cream shop, SMiZE & DREAM, following the docuseries’ release. Furthermore, the lawsuit includes an injunction request to prevent the use of her image in connection with the docuseries’ soundtrack. While Banks is not seeking to have the documentary pulled, censored, or restricted from public view, she is demanding a jury trial to determine appropriate compensation for the alleged defamation, false light, and breach of contract.
