LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Tyra Banks is suing Netflix, contending Monday that her image was distorted in the streaming service’s documentary about the legacy of “America’s Top Model.”
In the defamation suit filed Saturday in U.S. District Court, Banks, 52, explains she took part in the project because she believed it would offer viewers an honest discussion about both the successes and criticisms of the show and that she sat down for a lengthy interview with that thought in mind.
Instead, the documentary series, “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model,” was put together in such a fashion that a defamatory portrayal of her role in the series was offered to viewers, according to the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages.
Banks says the documentary editors used a snippet of her overall interview and took some matters out of context. Banks also maintains parts of the interview that were omitted were her admissions of responsibility for some of the show’s problems that brought critical review.
“The accountability Ms. Banks took ended up on the cutting room floor,” the suit states. “It was there, but viewers were never given the opportunity to see it.”
In addition, Banks says the documentary falsely implied that she allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted as a way to get ratings.
Banks hosted “America’s Next Top Model” for the first 22 of its 24 years. The show was released in 2003.
A Netflix representative could not be immediately reached for comment.
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