Former Top Model Contestants Respond to Banks Lawsuit

Former contestants from America's Next Top Model are making their voices heard following Tyra Banks' decision to file a defamation lawsuit against Netflix over the streaming platform's documentary series about the long-running reality competition show.

Banks filed the lawsuit on June 13, claiming that the docuseries Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, which premiered on February 16, failed to provide an accurate representation of her comments. According to her legal filing, only 16 minutes of her three-and-a-half hour interview were used in the final production.

The former Victoria's Secret Angel argued in her complaint that the documentary was "stripped of context and reassembled to support a false and defamatory narrative unrelated to what she actually expressed," according to documents obtained by People. Banks maintained that she agreed to participate in the three-part series because she believed viewers deserved a candid conversation about the show's legacy, including both its successes and shortcomings after 24 seasons on air.

According to the lawsuit, Banks wanted to take accountability for certain aspects of the show and address them directly with viewers. However, she contends that producers instead employed "selective editing, deliberate omission, and surgical manipulation of continuous footage" to create a misleading narrative. The suit specifically alleges that the documentary insinuated she "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." Banks is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.

Contestants Highlight Perceived Irony

Several former America's Next Top Model participants have responded to the lawsuit, with many pointing out what they perceive as ironic parallels between Banks' complaints and their own experiences on the reality show.

Jeana Turner, who competed in season 24 and finished as runner-up, provided an exclusive statement to Us Weekly on June 15. Turner characterized the lawsuit as "very ironic" given Banks' complaints about being edited falsely.

"I feel like it's a selfish, money-hungry thing," Turner told Us Weekly. "It's also extremely ironic of her to be suing them for defamation when that is what all of the girls who have been speaking out about America's Next Top Model have been trying to point out is that we have been defamed, our lives were affected, our careers were affected — ultimately, it was defamation."

Turner criticized what she described as Banks' alleged "lack of accountability," stating to Us Weekly that "for years, former contestants have shared their experiences and concerns, and many of them felt dismissed." She added that while people can be both influential and harmed by a system, "accountability shouldn't disappear when the spotlight turns on the person who was previously in charge."

Adrianne Curry, the winner of the show's inaugural season, addressed the lawsuit via Instagram on June 14. In a video post, Curry expressed her reaction to Banks' complaint about editing. "I read that Tyra Banks is suing Netflix because she didn't like being edited," Curry said in the video, followed by laughter. "Biiiiiiiiiiiitch, for real girl? Like?"

Curry captioned her post with pointed commentary: "Trya doesn't like being 'edited.' Lol. Welcome to the party, pal."

Angelea Preston, a season 17 contestant, spoke with Entertainment Weekly on June 14 about the lawsuit. Referencing the "surgical manipulation" and "selective editing" language in Banks' legal complaint, Preston stated, "Now you know how we feel." Preston herself filed a lawsuit against America's Next Top Model in 2014 seeking $3 million, though that case was subsequently dropped. She characterized Banks' current situation as "kind of like a taste of your own medicine, in a way."

The responses from former contestants underscore ongoing tensions between Banks and participants from the reality competition series, which ran for 24 seasons and launched numerous modeling careers while also generating controversy over its treatment of contestants and sensitive subject matter.