Tyra Banks Sues Netflix for Defamation Over 3.5-Hour ANTM Interview

Q: Did Netflix's editing falsely accuse Tyra Banks of covering up a sexual assault on her show?

Tyra Banks says yes, but that is an allegation in her lawsuit, not an established fact. According to the complaint, Banks claims Netflix edited her three-and-a-half-hour interview down to about 16 minutes and rearranged her remarks to create a false narrative that she knowingly allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted on “America’s Next Top Model,” exploited the trauma for ratings, and later acted as if she could not remember it. The allegation centers on former contestant Shandi Sullivan’s reported assault during Cycle 2. The available reporting supports that this is a core part of Banks’ defamation claim. She argues the documentary’s editing stripped her comments of context and misrepresented both her knowledge and her role. The lawsuit also points to actions she says she took in the past when misconduct was reported, including escalating concerns, pausing production, and requiring harassment training. What is not established from the current record is whether Netflix actually defamed her under the law. Netflix had not publicly responded at the time of the reports, and no court has ruled on the claim. So the accurate answer is that Banks alleges Netflix’s editing falsely portrayed her as covering up or enabling a sexual assault, but that accusation remains unproven until the case is litigated.

3 articles · Updated · Us Weekly · Jun 13

Tyra Banks, 52, filed a lawsuit on June 13 accusing Netflix of defamation, alleging the streamer edited her 3.5-hour interview for its America’s Next Top Model docuseries to push a false narrative.
The filing says Banks joined the project to discuss both the show’s successes and shortcomings candidly, accepted accountability for some past decisions, and did not restrict interview topics.
Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model premiered on Feb. 16 as a three-part series featuring Banks, producer Ken Mok, former judges and contestants, some of whom described discrimination, sexual assault and other behind-the-scenes experiences.
Banks had acknowledged in the documentary that some controversial challenges were "dumb s***" when viewed through a 2020s lens, making the suit a sharp escalation after months of backlash over the show’s legacy.
America’s Next Top Model ran from 2003 to 2018, and Netflix had not publicly responded to the lawsuit at the time of the report.