Model and America's Next Top Model creator Tyra Banks has sued Netflix, directors Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy, and production company EverWonder Studio over their docuseries about the long-running reality competition show. The lawsuit, filed Saturday in Los Angeles federal court, accuses the defendants of defamation through misleading editing and presentation of facts.

Banks' legal team contends that producers deployed "selective editing, deliberate omission, and surgical manipulation of continuous footage" to construct a false narrative suggesting she was aware of a sexual assault on set, exploited a contestant's trauma for ratings, and deliberately avoided discussing the incident during interviews. The lawsuit states that Banks was never informed about or questioned regarding the assault during her interview sessions for the documentary.

According to court documents, Banks received only a single day's notice before the docuseries premiered on February 16 to review the content. Her lawyers assert she was excluded from fact-checking processes and prevented from responding to allegations made by other participants. The filing also highlights that judges from the original show—including one her legal team says harbours resentment toward Banks—consulted on the documentary's direction without her knowledge. Banks seeks damages and an injunction preventing use of her image in connection with the film's official soundtrack album.

America's Next Top Model debuted in 2003 and continued for 24 seasons before concluding. The show has faced sustained criticism in recent years regarding body shaming practices, contestant manipulation, and controversial photoshoots. Banks has previously acknowledged "the insensitivity of past ANTM moments" and admitted to "some really off choices" made during production.

When Banks' representatives requested full footage of her interviews from Netflix in March, the company and EverWonder declined, according to the lawsuit. The documentary's release has generated negative publicity affecting Banks personally, with her ice cream establishment SMiZE & DREAM in Sydney, Australia, reportedly experiencing review bombing on Google. The lawsuit emphasises that Banks attempted to resolve matters directly with Netflix and producers before pursuing legal action, but those efforts proved unsuccessful.