Model and television personality Tyra Banks has filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix, docuseries directors Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy, and production company EverWonder Studio over an upcoming documentary about the reality competition show she created and hosted. The action, filed in Los Angeles federal court on Saturday, contends that producers engaged in "selective editing, deliberate omission, and surgical manipulation" to construct a misleading storyline.
According to the lawsuit, the editors portrayed Banks as knowingly evading questions about sexual assault on the show when she was not actually informed about the incident during her interview. Banks' legal team argues that critical material demonstrating her accountability was filmed but removed before release. "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," her lawyers wrote in the complaint.
Banks is demanding monetary damages and an injunction preventing the use of her image in relation to the docuseries' accompanying soundtrack album. She claims Netflix denied her request in March to review the full footage of her interviews and provided her only one day to view the final documentary before its February 16 release date. The lawsuit also notes that other former judges from the show, including individuals her lawyers describe as holding grudges against Banks, were involved as consultants shaping the documentary's direction.
The original series, which premiered in 2003 and ran for 24 seasons, has faced renewed scrutiny in recent years regarding body-shaming practices, contestant mistreatment, and insensitive photoshoots. Banks has previously acknowledged some of these concerns, saying she recognizes "the insensitivity of past ANTM moments" and "some really off choices." However, she contends that the Netflix documentary unfairly distorts her role and accountability regarding these issues.
Banks' team alleges that the negative portrayal has caused substantial reputational damage. The lawsuit cites the documentary's impact on her business interests, including her ice cream shop SMiZE & DREAM in Sydney, Australia, which has faced coordinated negative reviews on Google since the series aired. Her lawyers emphasize that direct attempts to resolve the dispute with Netflix and the producers were rejected. "This lawsuit is that answer," they stated, "particularly after her efforts to resolve the matter directly with Netflix and the producers were refused."
