Tyra Banks Takes Legal Action Against Netflix Over Documentary Claims

WHO:

AP News - Tyra Banks, Netflix, Daniel Sivan, Mor Loushy, EverWonder Studio

Fox News - Tyra Banks

WHAT:

AP News - Tyra Banks filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix and the directors of the docuseries “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.”

AP News - Banks alleges that her 3 ½ hours of interview footage was edited down to 16 minutes to create a false narrative.

AP News - Banks is seeking damages and an injunction barring the use of her image in connection with the docuseries’ soundtrack.

AP News - The lawsuit claims that the producers used “selective editing, deliberate omission, and surgical manipulation” to misrepresent Banks' statements.

AP News - The lawsuit states that public reaction to the docuseries has been “swift, harsh, and directed squarely at Ms. Banks.”

WHERE:

AP News - The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles federal court.

AP News - Banks’ ice cream shop, SMiZE & DREAM, is located in Sydney, Australia.

WHEN:

AP News - The docuseries is set to be released on February 16.

AP News - Banks was not permitted to review the docuseries until a day before its release.

WHY:

AP News - Banks claims the editing of her interview was intended to support a false and defamatory narrative unrelated to her actual statements.

AP News - The lawsuit contends that the editing made it appear that Banks allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted and then evaded the topic during interviews.

HOW:

AP News - Banks’ lawyers reached out to Netflix in March to request access to the full footage of her interviews, which was denied.

AP News - The lawsuit alleges that Banks was not contacted for fact-checking after her interviews and was excluded from the editorial process.

(UPDATED June 14, 2026 23:19 UTC)

Tyra Banks has filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix and the directors of the upcoming docuseries “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model,” claiming that her extensive interview footage was heavily edited to create a misleading narrative. The lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles federal court, alleges that the producers used selective editing to misrepresent her statements, leading to a public backlash directed at Banks. She is seeking damages and an injunction to prevent the use of her image in connection with the docuseries’ soundtrack, which is set to be released on February 16.