Tyra Banks Sues Netflix Over Reality Checked Documentary

Tyra Banks has filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix, alleging that the documentary Reality Checked: Inside America’s Next Top Model utilized surgical editing to manufacture a false narrative. Filed June 13, the suit claims producers omitted critical footage that would have countered damaging claims regarding her professional conduct.

The 52-year-old former host contends that despite participating in a three-hour interview intended to provide a candid retrospective of the show, only 16 minutes of her commentary reached the final cut. According to the legal filing, the documentary deliberately excluded her admissions of accountability and manipulated footage to imply she was indifferent to the alleged sexual assault of a contestant, Shandi Sullivan. Specifically, Banks argues that producers removed her clear verbal and physical confirmation that she remembered the incident, creating a misleading impression of her memory and empathy.

Beyond allegations of character assassination, the lawsuit addresses claims regarding Banks' relationship with former judge Miss J. The series highlighted her failure to visit him following his 2022 stroke, a narrative Banks asserts is incomplete. She maintains that she was living in Australia at the time and was never given the opportunity to clarify the situation. The filing includes evidence of subsequent text exchanges between the two, suggesting a reconciliation that the documentary ignored. Former judge Kelly Cutrone has since corroborated Banks’ defense, noting that Banks actively sought updates on Miss J’s health through mutual contacts after his hospitalization, contradicting the series' portrayal of abandonment.