Tyra Banks has filed a lawsuit against Netflix over its docuseries Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, alleging that producers selectively edited her interview and misrepresented her role in some of the show’s most controversial moments.
According to court documents first obtained by People, Banks filed the lawsuit on June 13, claiming that just 16 minutes of a more than three-and-a-half-hour interview were included in the three-part documentary, which premiered earlier this year.
The supermodel, entrepreneur and television producer alleges that key portions of her interview, including conversations in which she acknowledged criticism of the long-running reality competition series and took accountability for certain decisions, were omitted from the final project.
“Tyra Banks participated in the Netflix documentary series because she believed viewers deserved a candid conversation about the show’s legacy—its successes and its shortcomings,” the lawsuit states, according to People. Banks argues that the documentary’s producers used selective editing and omitted critical context to create what she describes as a “false and defamatory narrative.”
At the center of the lawsuit are claims that the documentary suggested Banks knowingly allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted during production and later failed to remember the incident when questioned about it.
The filing specifically addresses former contestant Shandi Sullivan, who appeared on Cycle 2 of America’s Next Top Model. In Reality Check, Sullivan revisited an incident that occurred while filming in Italy and said she now views the experience as sexual assault rather than the cheating scandal it was portrayed as at the time.
According to the lawsuit, producers edited Banks’ response in a way that falsely implied she could not remember Sullivan’s story. The filing alleges that footage showing Banks acknowledging and recalling the incident was removed from the final version shown to viewers.
“The implication is devastating and deliberate,” the lawsuit states. “That Tyra Banks cannot even remember the story of the woman who was assaulted on her show.”
Banks also disputes how the documentary portrayed her relationship with longtime America’s Next Top Model judge J. Alexander, known professionally as Miss J. Alexander.
In the docuseries, Alexander said Banks had not visited him following a 2022 stroke. According to the lawsuit, Banks was not given an opportunity to respond to that claim and would have presented evidence showing years of communication with Alexander and his family after the health scare.
The filing alleges that Banks, who had been living in Australia at the time, made multiple attempts to contact Alexander and remained in touch with him through texts, voice messages and phone conversations.
The lawsuit further claims that producers failed to disclose certain allegations and interview statements made by other participants, preventing Banks from responding during her own interview.
Banks is seeking damages for alleged reputational harm, lost business opportunities, loss of income and mental anguish. She has requested a jury trial.
Netflix, EverWonder Studio, Wise Child Studio and the documentary’s producers had not publicly responded to the lawsuit as of publication.
The legal challenge marks the latest development in the ongoing reevaluation of America’s Next Top Model, the reality competition series Banks created and hosted. The show ran for 24 cycles between 2003 and 2018 and helped launch the careers of numerous models while becoming a defining fixture of early-2000s reality television. As audiences have looked back and reflected on ANTM and other reality shows of yesteryear, some have called for a reckoning and accountability around harm caused in the name of consumption and entertainment.
In recent years, former contestants and viewers have revisited some of the show’s most controversial moments, sparking broader conversations about beauty standards, the ethics around reality television and the treatment of participants.
The lawsuit comes a little more than a year after Banks appeared on the cover of ESSENCE‘s March/April 2025 Beauty Issue, where she reflected on reinvention, entrepreneurship and the next chapter of her career. Now, the media mogul is seeking to defend her legacy in court as debate surrounding one of television’s most influential reality franchises continues.
