Tyra Banks participated in the February 2026 Netflix documentary, “Reality Checked: Inside America’s Next Top Model.” However, months later, the 52-year-old is suing the streaming giant, calling the widely talked about special defamatory.
This comes after a former “America’s Next Top Model” judge defended Banks over not having visited J. Alexander in the hospital amid his stroke.
According to PEOPLE, Banks and her legal team filed the lawsuit against Netflix on June 13. In it, she accuses those involved in the production of attempting to paint a false narrative by omitting much of what she said during her three-plus-hour interview. Banks wants a jury to determine the “appropriate” amount of damages she should receive.
The lawsuit starts, “Tyra Banks participated in the Netflix documentary series ‘America’s Next Top Model’ (‘ANTM’) because she believed viewers deserved a candid conversation about the show’s legacy—its successes and its shortcomings.”
Specifically, the lawsuit claims the comments left on the cutting room floor included her taking accountability for many of the more controversial moments from “Top Model.” Per the docs, “There are aspects of the show for which Ms. Banks takes accountability, and she wanted ‘ANTM’ viewers to hear that from her directly.”
Regarding Banks’ sitdown with producers, “Going into her interview, Ms. Banks did not limit the ‘ANTM’ topics the interviewer could ask.” She states that only 16 minutes of her more than three-hour conversation were featured.
Tyra Banks Is Firing Back Over Claims She Allowed A Contestant To Be Assaulted
One of the most troubling aspects of the document involves a former “America’s Next Top Model” contestant, Shandi Sullivan, who was allegedly sexually assaulted on camera during the show’s second cycle.
Per PEOPLE, Banks addressed the claims in the lawsuit.
It reads, “Worse, the false narrative the producers constructed—through selective editing, deliberate omission, and surgical manipulation of continuous footage—included that Ms. Banks knowingly allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted on her show, exploited that contestant’s trauma for ratings, and then could not even remember it when asked.”
The legal docs continue, “That narrative about Ms. Banks is a complete fabrication—one that Netflix streamed to a global audience of millions. The implication is devastating and deliberate: that Tyra Banks cannot 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 removed from the final edit. They claim, “But that was false. The full footage of Ms. Banks’ interview reveals two things that the producers cut out and did not show viewers in Episode 1: before the upward glance, Ms. Banks nods—affirmatively, unmistakably—and immediately says, ‘I do remember her story.’ By carving the nod out of the middle of the sequence and cutting off Ms. Banks’ comment at the end, the producers ensured that viewers would see only the lie and not the truth.”
The Lawsuit Also Addresses The Miss J Situation
“Reality Checked: Inside America’s Next Top Model” also focuses on Banks’s relationship with the show’s former judges. Notably, Miss J revealed that Banks did not visit him while he was hospitalized in 2022 following a massive stroke. Specifically, she says she was never given the chance to give her side of the story.
The suit states, “Had the producers informed Ms. Banks that part of the Netflix Series narrative would include Miss J saying that Ms. Banks never visited him in the hospital, Ms. Banks would have explained that she had been living in Australia for 2 1/2 years.”
Additionally, Banks claims she was not allowed to show a text message she sent to the former ‘Top Model’ judge that went unanswered. It is also alleged in the filing that the two have spoken at length since his hospitalization, with the most recent conversation occurring in December 2025.
Per the suit, “They texted numerous times. As recently as Christmas Day 2025, Ms. Banks and Miss J exchanged holiday messages, and he updated Ms. Banks about his improved health. She replied, ‘Yesssssss. Can we speak this week?’ They never spoke. Just weeks later, the Netflix Series streamed to a worldwide audience.”
Former ‘America’s Next Top Model’ Judge Kelly Cutrone Defended Banks
Kelly Cutrone, who appeared on “Top Model” from cycles 18 to 22, defended Banks in June 2026 in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. She told the outlet that Banks, who was living in Australia, was concerned about Miss J after learning of his health struggles.
She said, “They [including producer Ken Mock] were worried.” After being contacted, Cutrone had a mutual friend, Arton, seek information about Miss J, which led them to learn that he had been admitted to the hospital under an alias, making it harder for Banks or anyone else to locate him.
The former judge continued, “Arton went to his apartment” at the behest of Tyra and Ken, who were worried.
The Netflix Documentary Was A Hit With Viewers
According to Deadline, “Reality Checked: Inside America’s Next Top Model” debuted with an astounding 14.2 million views within its first week, which tracked from February 16 to 22. Notably, this figure includes all three parts of each documentary.
