Tyra Banks has taken legal action against Netflix, months after the streaming giant released the three-part docuseries about “ANTM” titled “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.” The reality show’s former host claims the creators edited the show to create a false narrative and put her in a bad light.
Two of the show’s former contestants, Adrianne Curry and Angelea Preston, are now weighing in on the lawsuit and what they really think about Banks’ legal move.
“America’s Next Top Model” Cycle 1 winner Adrianne Curry has been vocal when it comes to her thoughts about the reality series and its former host.
On June 14, after Tyra Banks’ lawsuit against Netflix was reported, Curry took to Instagram and posted a short video saying, “I read that Tyra Banks is suing Netflix because she didn’t like being edited,” Curry said, adding air quotes as she said, “edited.” The former model laughed before saying, “B-tch, for real, girl?” She captioned the post, “Welcome to the party, pal.”
In the comments section, she shared her thoughts, wondering if the lawsuit was a “publicity stunt” from Netflix or Banks “because she has something new coming.”
As The Blast previously reported, Curry reacted to the release of the docuseries in February, mockingly praising Banks for not apologizing over some of the reality show’s controversies.
Angelea Preston Said The Tables Have Turned
Angelea Preston competed on “ANTM” thrice in Cycle 12, 14, and 17. In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Tonight, Preston noted that Banks’ allegations in her lawsuit about “selective editing” and “surgical manipulation” in the documentary.
“Now you know how we feel. It’s kind of like a taste of your own medicine, in a way,” Preston told the outlet. The former model added that if Banks’ claims against Netflix were factual, then it served as “karma.” Over the years, several “ANTM” contestants alleged that the reality show manipulated interviews and spliced footage to come up with false storylines.
In 2023, Preston revealed that she was the original winner of Cycle 17. However, she later received a call from the producer asking about her brief engagement in sex work. Preston was later told that her title would be stripped because she violated a “moral clause.” The end of the Cycle was then re-shot, and another contestant was declared the winner.
Tyra Banks’ Lawsuit Against Netflix
On June 13, Banks filed a lawsuit against Netflix and the creators of the docuseries, directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan, and EverWonder Studio, alleging that they created a “defamatory narrative” against her.
In the documents, the former host claimed that she was interviewed for more than three hours, and only 16 minutes were used in the three-part series. When the documentary was released, Banks faced backlash for failing to take responsibility for some of the most controversial moments on “ANTM.”
Her lawsuit read, “The accountability Ms. Banks took ended up on the cutting room floor. It was there, but viewers were never given the opportunity to see it.”
The Lawsuit Addressed Shandi Sullivan’s Sexual Assault
Shandi Sullivan participated in the documentary and discussed her “cheating scandal” in Cycle 2, which she said was a case of sexual assault. In that episode, titled “The Girl Who Cheated,” Sullivan, who was heavily intoxicated, was shown with a male model in bed, implying they had sexual relations. Cameras also captured the moment she called her boyfriend to confess what had happened.
In the documentary, Sullivan said she was severely “hammered,” and the “ANTM” crew got footage of the encounter. “No one did anything to stop it. And it all got filmed, all of it.”
Banks’ lawsuit states that the documentary made it seem that Banks was “intentionally trying to evade the topic,” adding that the creators used “selective editing, deliberate omission, and surgical manipulation” of her interview to make it appear that she used Sullivan’s assault to get ratings.
Tyra Banks’ Lawsuit Sparks Different Reactions
Many are weighing in on Banks’s lawsuit, and users are divided. Some agreed that Banks was manipulated, with one saying, “With a 4 hour interview context matters. You can piece and cut the exact moments into a disturbing clip to make someone look like a villain.”
Others, however, shared Preston and Curry’s opinions. One wrote, “The irony of a reality TV manipulator getting manipulated.” Another person added, “Like how she took hours of footage of models but still made them look like train wrecks on ANTM? She’s mad that she’s being treated the way she treated others.”
Banks claims that she was only shown the documentary a day before its release and was not given a chance to argue against others’ accusations against her. The lawsuit read, “She would not have participated” if she knew that she was “being set up.”
