Tyra Banks She appeared in the Netflix documentary "Reality Checked: Inside America's Next Top Model," which aired in February 2026. However, a few months later, the 52-year-old TV presenter filed a lawsuit against the streaming giant, calling the widely discussed film defamatory.
This comes after the former judge of the show "America's Next Top Model" defended Banks, saying that she did not visit J. Alexandra in the hospital during his stroke.
Tyra Banks says only a small portion of her interviews were included in the Netflix documentary.
As PEOPLE reports, Banks and her legal team filed a lawsuit against Netflix on June 13. In it, she accuses the production team of attempting to create a false narrative by omitting much of what she said during her more than three-hour interview. Banks wants a jury to determine the "appropriate" amount of compensation she should receive.
The lawsuit states: "Tyra Banks participated in the Netflix documentary series 'America's Next Top Model' ('ANTM') because she believed viewers deserved a frank conversation about the show's legacy—its successes and shortcomings.".
Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that comments left during editing included her admitting responsibility for many of the most controversial aspects of "Top Model." According to the documents, "there are aspects of the show for which Ms. Banks takes responsibility, and she wanted "ANTM" viewers to hear it directly from her.".
Regarding Banks' conversation with producers, "prior to the interview, Ms. Banks did not limit the range of topics the interviewer could ask about 'ANTM.'" She claims that only 16 minutes of the more than three-hour conversation were shown.
Tyra Banks is responding to allegations that she assaulted a contestant.
One of the most disturbing aspects of the document concerns a former "America's Next Top Model" contestant.« Shandi Sullivan , who was allegedly sexually assaulted on live television during the show's second season.
As PEOPLE reports, Banks responded to the claims made in the lawsuit.
The document states: "Worse, the false narrative created by the producers—through selective editing, deliberate omissions, and the surgical manipulation of continuous footage—included the claim that Ms. Banks knowingly allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted, exploited that contestant's trauma to boost ratings, and then couldn't even remember it when questioned.".
The legal documents further state: "This story about Ms. Banks is a complete fabrication, broadcast by Netflix to millions of viewers worldwide. The implication is horrific and deliberate: that Tyra Banks doesn't even remember the story of the woman who was assaulted on her show.".
Banks and her legal team then described what the documentary's producers cut from the final version. They claim, "But it was untrue. The full transcript of Ms. Banks's interview reveals two things the producers cut and did not show viewers in the first episode: Before looking up, Ms. Banks nods—affirmatively, unmistakably—and immediately says, 'I remember her story.' By cutting the nod from the middle of the episode and cutting off Ms. Banks's comment at the end, the producers ensured that viewers would see only the lie, not the truth.".
The lawsuit also addresses Ms. J's situation.
The documentary "Reality Checked: Inside America's Next Top Model" also examines Banks's relationships with former judges. Specifically, Miss J. revealed that Banks failed to visit him when he was hospitalized in 2022 after a massive stroke. She claims she was never given the opportunity to tell her side of the story.
The lawsuit states: "If the producers had informed Ms. Banks that the Netflix series would feature Ms. J saying Ms. Banks never visited him in the hospital, Ms. Banks would have explained that she had lived in Australia for 2.5 years.".
Furthermore, Banks claims she was denied access to a text message she sent to the former "Top Model" judge, which went unanswered. The lawsuit also alleges that they communicated extensively after his hospitalization, with their last conversation taking place in December 2025.
According to the lawsuit, "They corresponded repeatedly. As early as Christmas 2025, Ms. Banks and Ms. Jay exchanged holiday messages, and he told Ms. Banks about his improved health. She responded, 'Yeeessss. Can we talk this week?' They never did. Just a few weeks later, the Netflix series was released to a worldwide audience.".
Former "America's Next Top Model" judge Kelly Cutrone has come to Banks' defense.
Kelly Cutrone , a contestant on "Top Model" from seasons 18 to 22, defended Banks in a June 2026 interview with Entertainment Weekly. She told the publication that Banks, who lived in Australia, had been concerned about Miss J.'s health after learning of his own health problems.
She said: "They [including producer Ken Mok] were concerned." After being contacted, Cutron asked his mutual friend Arton to look into Miss J., which led them to conclude that he was hospitalized under an assumed name, making it difficult for Banks or anyone else to find him.
The former judge continued: "Arton went to his apartment" at the request of Tyra and Ken, who were concerned.
The Netflix documentary was a big hit with audiences.
According to Deadline, the documentary "Reality Checked: Inside America's Next Top Model" garnered an astonishing 14.2 million views in its first week, from February 16th to 22nd. Remarkably, this figure includes all three parts of each documentary.
Read also: Kelly Cutrone slammed Jay Manuel for his ANTM documentary and came to Tyra Banks' defense.