Tyra Banks sues Netflix for defamation, claims she was manipulated into participating in ‘ANTM’ doc

Tyra Banks is suing Netflix for defamation and claims she was manipulated into participating successful nan streamer’s “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model” documentary.

“Tyra Banks participated successful nan Netflix documentary bid ‘America’s Next Top Model’ (‘ANTM’) because she believed viewers deserved a candid speech astir nan show’s legacy—its successes and its shortcomings,” nan lawsuit, which was revenge connected Saturday, reads, reports People.

“There are aspects of nan show for which Ms. Banks takes accountability and she wanted ANTM viewers to perceive that from her directly.”

“Going into her interview, Ms. Banks did not limit nan ANTM topics nan interviewer could ask,” nan suit continues. “During a three-and-a-half-hour interview, Ms. Banks answered questions astir nan show’s groundbreaking history, including disapproval of decisions she would attack otherwise today.”

Of that three-hour interview, nan erstwhile supermodel claims only 16 minutes of her talk pinch producers was utilized successful nan last merchandise and that nan clips that were utilized were “stripped of discourse and reassembled to support a mendacious and defamatory communicative unrelated to what she really expressed.”

“The Netflix bid ‘Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model’ (the ‘Netflix Series’) was sold to viewers arsenic a ‘documentary series,’ “the suit continued.

“Netflix called it ‘the definitive, must-watch chronicle of America’s Next Top Model.’ The genre matters. Viewers of a documentary do not expect manufactured play aliases constructed narratives. They expect facts. Because they were promised a documentary, that is precisely really viewers interacted pinch nan Netflix Series,” nan suit adds.

As those who watched whitethorn recall, Banks took accountability for galore of the arguable storylines that appeared connected nan reality modeling title series.

While immoderate of her comments were dismissed from nan cleared edit, Banks besides seems to return rumor pinch immoderate of nan topics that were near — namely, erstwhile contestant Shandi Sullivan’s grounds from nan show.

In nan docuseries, Sullivan recalls being sexually assaulted by a antheral exemplary during nan Cycle 2 contestants’ enactment successful Italy. Video from nan play showed Sullivan drinking vino and partying pinch nan girls and immoderate different antheral models earlier climbing into furniture pinch 1 of them.

The erstwhile exemplary told viewers that she was blacked retired erstwhile nan relationship took place. But, nan reality programme framed nan incident arsenic a cheating ungraded (Sullivan had a fellow astatine nan time) alternatively than an assault.

In different clip, it shows Banks successful a confessional admitting to knowing astir nan battle but she claimed she was not progressive successful accumulation aliases nan editing of storylines.

The suit goes on: “Worse, nan mendacious communicative nan producers constructed—through selective editing, deliberate omission, and surgical manipulation of continuous footage—included that Ms. Banks knowingly allowed a contestant to beryllium sexually assaulted connected her show, exploited that contestant’s trauma for ratings, and past could not moreover retrieve it erstwhile asked. That communicative astir Ms. Banks is simply a complete fabrication—one that Netflix streamed to a world assemblage of millions.”

Banks besides changeable backmost astatine claims that she unopen down accumulation during 1 rhythm aft a unit personnel reported that a regular ANTM formed personnel engaged successful inappropriate conduct.

“That consequence would not person been hypothetical. It would person been 20 based connected what Ms. Banks really did during 1 rhythm aft a personification connected nan unit reported straight to Ms. Banks that different regular personnel of nan ANTM formed had engaged successful a shape of inappropriate intersexual behaviour during accumulation of ANTM,” nan suit continues.

“Ms. Banks instantly shared nan study pinch different executives and ensured nan rumor was escalated to nan network,” nan suit adds. “Ms. Banks acted promptly and gave nan matter nan superior attraction it deserved. In response, accumulation was paused truthful nan full formed and unit could acquisition intersexual harassment training conducted by an extracurricular expert.”

Banks is asking for a assemblage proceedings to find nan “appropriate” magnitude she should person successful damages.

A rep for nan exemplary did not instantly respond to Page Six’s petition for comment.