Netflix fights Tyra Banks' lawsuit over top model docuseries

Netflix has responded to a lawsuit filed by Tyra Banks, the creator and host of "America's Next Top Model," over the streaming service's docuseries "Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model." The docuseries, directed by Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy, examines the legacy of the reality competition show that premiered in 2003 and ran for 24 seasons. Banks sued Netflix in federal court in California in June, alleging that the docuseries misrepresented her through selective editing, creating a false and defamatory portrayal of her role. She claimed she agreed to participate in the documentary believing it would offer an honest examination of both the successes and controversies surrounding the show. Banks also alleged that she was not given an opportunity to respond to accusations gathered from other participants, which were deliberately withheld from her during her interview.

In response, Netflix issued a statement defending the docuseries and its directors, saying they are respected documentarians who thoroughly interviewed the people behind the show. The company stated that Banks was given the opportunity to speak openly and that her perspective was fairly presented alongside those of other participants. Netflix and EverWonder Studio have filed an anti-SLAPP motion and a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. In the motion, the defendants argue that Banks' disagreement with her portrayal does not make the series defamatory. They contend that her claims amount to dissatisfaction with the amount of interview footage included and how it was edited, and that allowing such a case to proceed could open the door for documentary subjects unhappy with their portrayal to challenge editorial decisions. The filing states that defamation law does not permit that result and that courts do not second-guess editorial judgments merely because an interview subject would have preferred different ones.

The defendants also argue that Banks cannot show a probability of prevailing on her state law claims, as the documentary does not reasonably convey the defamatory implications she alleges. Banks' attorney, Tom Clare of Clare Locke, disputed Netflix's characterization of the lawsuit, stating that the case is not about dissatisfaction with editing or seeking creative control, but rather whether the editing materially distorted the truth. Clare called on Netflix to release Banks' complete, unedited interview so viewers can compare it with what appeared in the docuseries. Banks is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages. The legal filings and statements come as the dispute highlights tensions between documentary subjects and filmmakers over editorial control and the portrayal of real events.