Tyra Banks Sues Netflix for Defamation Over ANTM Docuseries

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Tyra Banks is taking legal action against Netflix. 

According to court documents obtained by TopMob News, Banks filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix on June 13th. The lawsuit stems from her appearance in the streaming service’s 2026 docuseries, Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.

The lawsuit states that Netflix presented Reality Check as a true documentary series, calling it “the definitive chronicle of America’s Next Top Model.” This is important because viewers typically expect documentaries to be factual, not filled with fabricated drama or storylines.

The lawsuit argues that viewers approached the Netflix series expecting a documentary, and that’s how they experienced it. However, the complaint alleges that clips were taken out of context and edited together to create a misleading and damaging story that didn’t reflect what she actually said.

Banks initially joined the project because she wanted to have an honest discussion with viewers about America’s Next Top Model, including both what it did well and where it fell short. However, the lawsuit alleges that the final version of the program removed all instances of Banks taking responsibility for past controversies surrounding the show.

In a recent documentary series examining accusations of mistreatment—including bullying, body shaming, and racial profiling—on the set of America’s Next Top Model, season 2 contestant Shandi Sullivan stated she was sexually assaulted while filming in Italy in 2003.

Despite stating she wasn’t involved in the Netflix docuseries and wasn’t asked about a specific incident during its production, Banks, 52, says the finished version made it appear as if she was responsible.

According to court documents, the producers created a false story by carefully choosing which footage to show, leaving out important parts, and manipulating the continuous recordings. This story falsely claimed that Ms. Banks knowingly let a contestant be sexually assaulted on her show, used the contestant’s trauma to increase viewership, and then denied it happened. The filing states this portrayal of Ms. Banks is completely untrue and was broadcast by Netflix to millions of viewers worldwide.

Though Banks acted as both host and executive producer for 22 seasons of the show starting in 2003, court documents state that while she explained her perspective, the final version presented to audiences wasn’t entirely truthful – producers selectively edited footage to create a misleading narrative.

TopMob News has reached out to Netflix for comment but has not heard back.

The 2026 documentary series included interviews with Tyra Banks, executive producer Ken Mok, and former judges Jay Manuel, Miss J. Alexander, and Nigel Barker, who shared stories about the most memorable highs and lows of America’s Next Top Model.

The exposé also featured the experiences of former contestants of the reality show. 

Previously, Banks recognized both the cultural impact of the show as well as its shortcomings. 

In February 2025, while accepting an award at the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards, she shared that over twenty years ago she created America’s Next Top Model. She explained it was a real struggle to ensure diversity on the show when very few others were doing so.

“Did we get it right?” she added. “Hell no. I said some dumb s–t.”

That said, Banks stands by her impact.

She wants to be remembered for her real-world impact, not just her online presence. She’s proud to have helped pave the way for future generations to make a difference, and is excited about the possibilities that opens up.

For the biggest bombshells from the infamous ANTM doc, read on…

Shandi Sullivan, a finalist on Cycle 2 of America’s Next Top Model, was shown on a 2004 episode of the show in a compromising situation with a male model while she had a boyfriend back home. In a 2026 Netflix documentary series called Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, Shandi explained she had been heavily intoxicated and doesn’t remember much of what happened, and believes the show’s producers should have stepped in.

Shandi said on the show that she believes someone should have intervened after the incident in the hot tub, saying, ‘They should have realized it had gone too far and pulled her out of the situation.’

During that episode of America’s Next Top Model, Shandi broke down in tears and called her boyfriend to admit she’d been unfaithful. She also reached out to a male model she’d met in Milan, asking if he had any sexually transmitted diseases.

In an interview on Reality Check, Tyra Banks acknowledged Shandi’s story, but explained she wasn’t involved in the show’s production side of things and didn’t feel comfortable discussing it.

In the documentary, executive producer Ken Mok explained that they approached Top Model like a real-life documentary. He said they told the contestants from the very beginning that cameras would be with them constantly – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – and would capture everything, both positive and negative.

Tyra clarified that while she wasn’t in charge of the show’s overall storyline – that was Ken Mok’s role – she did become a highly skilled editor. She also emphasized that not everything that was filmed made it to television.

TopMob News reached out to Tyra and Ken for comment but did not hear back.

As part of the show’s makeover, both the winner of Cycle 6, Danielle “Dani” Evans, and the runner-up, Joanie Dodds, received dental work.

Joanie spent the entire night at the dentist and had four teeth pulled. However, as she explained in the Netflix documentary, she was thrilled, saying it felt like ‘winning the lottery’ because she’d always been insecure about her smile, as Ken noted on Reality Check.

Dani initially wasn’t interested in getting the space between her front teeth fixed by the dentist, because she liked her smile just the way it was. When Tyra Banks asked her on America’s Next Top Model if she thought she could still be a successful model with the gap, she confidently said yes.

After speaking with her mother, who warned her she might be eliminated if she didn’t listen to Tyra, Dani explained that she chose to follow the advice and was able to stay on the show.

Oh my god, you won’t BELIEVE this! Tyra actually admitted she apologized to Dani for telling her to get her teeth changed! Can you even imagine?! But she tried to explain it away, saying back in 2006 she felt totally stuck – like she was in a no-win situation. It’s…complicated, I guess, but still! She pushed Dani to change herself, and now she says she was ‘between a rock and a hard place’? Ugh, it’s just…a lot to process.

Tyra Banks recalls agents telling her she wouldn’t succeed because of her teeth. She admits she could have simply accepted their opinions, but now realizes it’s easy to see what she should have done in retrospect.

Okay, so after Tyra brought up this point in the documentary, Dani really set the record straight. She basically said, ‘That’s just not true!’ She firmly believes that getting her gap closed didn’t open any doors for her professionally, and she feels Tyra was fully aware of what she was doing when she pushed for it on the show. It was a really powerful moment, and Dani wasn’t afraid to speak her truth.

I was absolutely floored by Cycle 8’s photoshoot. It was incredibly disturbing – the models weren’t just made up to look dead, but as if they were actual victims of violent crimes. What really hit me hard was Dionne Walters being asked to portray a shooting victim. Knowing her mother was paralyzed by gun violence, it felt unbelievably insensitive and triggering to ask her to take on that role. It was a lot to process as a viewer.

She explained in Reality Check that she believed people were trying to provoke a strong emotional response from her, hoping to see her fall apart. She was relieved that they didn’t succeed in upsetting her as they expected.

Ken admitted he was completely responsible for the shooting, calling it “a mistake” in his statement. He now realizes it glorified violence, describing it as “crazy” and saying he regrets doing it, admitting to himself that he acted foolishly.

During the documentary, photo shoot director Jay Manuel revealed he struggled significantly with a photoshoot for a Got Milk? campaign in Cycle 4, where models swapped races. He even requested not to work on that specific part of the shoot.

In his book Reality Check, Jay recounted Tyra telling him, ‘I’ll deal with this part on camera with the contestants—you just focus on your work.’ He realized he didn’t have much control over the situation; the photoshoot was going to happen no matter what.

Tyra shared in the show that she hadn’t realized her actions would be seen as controversial. She said she believed she was celebrating Black and brown beauty, but when it aired, many people reacted with shock and criticism.

And thinking about it now, she added, “I understand 100 percent why” it was an issue.

Looking back, former contestant Keenyah Hill believes it wasn’t accidental that she received the “gluttony” card in a photoshoot based on the Seven Deadly Sins. She also feels it was significant that she was assigned to be the elephant during a safari-themed shoot in South Africa where the finalists posed as animals.

During her time on America’s Next Top Model, other contestants noticed Keenyah often ate snacks, and the judges told her she needed to pay attention to her weight.

Keenyah explained in her book, Reality Check, that realizing that would be the whole story felt both unfair and unpleasant.

She highlighted a part of the video claiming it had been manipulated to appear as though she ate multiple bagels when it was actually just one.

Tyra Banks explained in the documentary that when discussing weight on America’s Next Top Model, she was trying to challenge conventional beauty standards, but acknowledged that “the fashion industry at the time had very limited ideas of what was considered beautiful. That was just reality then.”

Keenyah explained in her book, Reality Check, that criticizing her own body wasn’t where the pressure stopped; the show’s producers continued to focus on it as well.

While working on a photoshoot in South Africa, Keenyah claimed one of the male models made unwanted advances towards her. She said he was scantily clad – only wearing a loincloth – and repeatedly touched and grabbed her, taking advantage of the situation. Recalling the moment, she thought about how Tyra Banks would handle it, deciding she needed to calmly and professionally stop the shoot and express her discomfort.

But when she did that, as seen on ANTM, nothing happened.

Later on during the judging panel, Tyra told Keenyah she needed to learn how to advocate for herself without creating unnecessary drama or conflict.

Tyra said on Reality Check that she “was trying to empower” Keenyah at the time.

The 52-year-old explained she initially believed she’d given good advice, but now realizes she should have said, ‘Stop, come down,’ which is what she would do today. She stated that everyone understands the importance of protecting women. Addressing the camera, Tyra apologized to Keenyah and Booboo, saying that neither she nor the network executives understood the situation at the time, and while she did her best, Keenyah deserved better treatment.

In her book Reality Check, Tyra Banks explained that she became very upset during Cycle 4 of America’s Next Top Model when Tiffany Richardson struggled with, and ultimately wanted to quit, a challenge involving reading from a teleprompter.

Tyra explained she simply wanted to help this woman realize her potential. She believed the woman had all the qualities of a true supermodel, but was losing confidence and giving up – not just on the competition, but on herself in a much bigger way.

So commenced her “We were all rooting for you!” outburst at judges’ table.

Reflecting on the situation, Tyra admitted she overreacted and went too far. She explained that the issue resonated deeply with her personal experiences as a Black woman, but she acknowledged that her response had been excessive.

According to Jay’s documentation, Tyra responded with a simple “I am disappointed” after he emailed her to say he felt ready to leave the show following Cycle 8.

Jay explained that after their emails, everyone simply stopped talking. He felt it could have been a chance for an open and honest conversation, but unfortunately, it never happened.

Instead, Jay continued, he was asked to return for Cycle 9 and he was too afraid not to say yes.

He mentioned people often fear being excluded or ostracized. While no one specifically used those terms, he worried that’s exactly what was happening to him.

Once they started working on Season Nine, Jay explained that Tyra wouldn’t talk to him unless cameras were rolling.

Jay explained that while they were filming, they had fun and connected, but he wasn’t permitted to talk to her when the cameras weren’t rolling.

When asked about Jay, Tyra didn’t want to discuss the situation. “I need to talk to Jay about this privately,” she explained. “He’s a really good person, and I don’t want to talk about it here.”

Whitney Thompson, winner of Cycle 10 of America’s Next Top Model, revealed in a documentary that she faced challenges due to being a larger size than most models. At 5-foot-10 and a size 6, she was the first and only plus-size model to win the competition. She explained that designers often had to alter her clothes – even cutting them open – just so she could wear them, which she found humiliating because it constantly highlighted that she didn’t fit the standard sample size.

Whitney explained that while her family could have gotten clothes in the right size for her, they deliberately didn’t, and she had to cope with it. She added that showing any vulnerability would make things even worse – ‘Because if they see weakness, you’re gone.’

Honestly, winning that competition felt huge! And then things really shifted when Elite signed me – there just wasn’t a category for curvy or plus-size models back then. It took a lot of advocating for myself, but I’m proud to say I ended up being the first plus-size model many major brands ever worked with.

Jay explained that the judges sometimes chose photos to showcase not because they were the strongest, but because they could find something to criticize – for example, they once highlighted a photo simply because of visible underarm hair.

He explained that he was sometimes asked to unfairly help a weaker contestant, specifically because her story arc was so compelling, to create the illusion that she still had a chance of winning.

Jay explained that if the photos aren’t good quality, it will be difficult to justify keeping someone in the competition.

In the document, Nigel admitted they didn’t always make the best choices. He acknowledged they sometimes removed the incorrect individual, but accepted that mistakes happen.

In the show, Tyra reflected that they might not have made it clear enough that not everyone would become famous.

Jay explained that after someone was eliminated, they were filmed packing their belongings, leaving the apartment, and then a production assistant would take them to a hotel.

Several former contestants have said that once you’re eliminated, you’re required to stay until the season finishes and aren’t allowed to contact anyone – not even family – right away.

Runway coach J. Alexander, also known as Miss J, explained in the documentary that while he sympathized with the contestants, he knew the fashion industry was incredibly competitive. He said that in the real world, people will quickly take advantage of you and discard you.

After leaving the show, it’s a big adjustment,” explained Dionne from Cycle 8, who placed fourth. “You quickly realize you’re on your own – you have to decide if you’ll pursue modeling and whether you’ll move to a place like New York. There’s no one there to help you figure things out; you have to do it all yourself.”

Jay remained on the show until the end of Cycle 18 in 2012, when he, Miss J, and Nigel were all let go.

In the documentary, Ken and Tyra remembered being told by network executives that adjustments were necessary.

Tyra explained that she received clear instructions not to protect anyone, and as a consequence, she had to eliminate three contestants – which she described as losing ‘three of her hearts’.

Nigel said losing his job was incredibly difficult and felt unfair, joking that it was like being a contestant voted off the show. Jay described the experience as a harsh shock, explaining he’d made a lot of sacrifices when he initially joined years ago.

Jay explained that he, Nigel, and Miss J were promised a press release with quotes explaining why they were leaving America’s Next Top Model. However, Page Six actually published the story about their departures first.

Nigel admitted that was likely his lowest moment. Jay followed up, questioning why those who had been with the show from the beginning weren’t treated with respect and suggesting the decision was intentional.

Tyra shared in the documentary that telling the three contestants they were eliminated was the most difficult conversation of her life, and she was deeply upset by it, even crying herself to sleep that night.

Honestly, it kills me that even after everything I’ve said – and Ken too! – people still think Jay, Miss J, and Nigel doubted the orders really came from higher up. It’s like they just refuse to believe us, and it drives me crazy! They clearly don’t buy that it wasn’t just some random decision.

J. Alexander revealed in his book, Reality Check, that he was in a coma for five weeks following a stroke on December 27, 2022. Although he’s regained the ability to speak, he still uses a wheelchair.

The 67-year-old shared that after spending time teaching artificial intelligence models how to move, they are now facing their own challenge learning to walk again—but remain optimistic. ‘I’m determined to get back on my feet,’ they said in the documentary, adding with confidence, ‘You haven’t seen the last of me yet.’

He said that Jay and Nigel visited him in the hospital—”I don’t even know if he wanted me to see him in that way,” Nigel recalled—and they reunited more recently while shooting the Netflix doc.

I was asking about Tyra, and Miss J told me she still hadn’t come by. Apparently, she did text saying she wanted to visit, but as of now, that hasn’t happened yet – at least, not according to Miss J.

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2026-06-13 23:21