Tyra Banks sues Netflix over “America’s Next Top Model” documentary, alleging defamation

Tyra Banks has filed a lawsuit against Netflix over a documentary connected to “America’s Next Top Model,” alleging defamation and claiming the streaming service altered her interview material to create what she says is a false story line. The suit was filed Saturday, according to the report.

The complaint centers on Banks’s contention that Netflix edited her statements in a way that misrepresented what she said and what she meant. Banks alleges the edits were used to support a narrative that she says is inaccurate, and that the resulting depiction damaged her reputation, the report said.

“America’s Next Top Model” is associated with the long-running modeling franchise that Banks led as host and executive figure. In the documentary at issue, Banks is described as being among the people whose interviews are used to help tell the program’s story, and she disputes how her contributions were presented, the report said.

The case is part of a broader wave of disputes involving streaming platforms and documentary-makers, where claims often focus on how participants’ statements were recorded, selected, and presented to audiences. In this instance, Banks’s allegation is not merely about factual disagreement, but about claimed editing practices that she argues changed the meaning of her interview content, according to the report.

The lawsuit seeks legal remedies that typically accompany defamation allegations, including damages for reputational harm, though specific figures and requested relief were not detailed in the report. Because the matter is still early in the process, Netflix’s position in court was not established in the account, and the factual record will be developed through filings and further proceedings.

If the court allows the case to move forward, Banks will need to show that the challenged depiction was presented as factual and that the editing of her interviews materially conveyed a meaning she says was not accurate. Netflix, for its part, would be expected to contest those claims, including any arguments about documentary storytelling, editorial discretion, and the legal standard for defamation.

For audiences, the dispute raises questions about documentary production practices and how platforms handle interview edits when presenting real people’s perspectives. For the industry, it is another reminder that participants may pursue legal action when they believe their words or viewpoints were presented in a way that creates an allegedly false impression.