The creator and host of “America’s Next Top Model”, Tyra Banks, filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix this Saturday, June 13.

The former supermodel alleges that the platform maliciously manipulated her participation in the three-part docuseries “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model,” which premiered in February.

According to the legal complaint, the production team used “selective editing and surgical manipulation” of the source material. Of a three-and-a-half-hour interview recorded with Banks, Netflix only aired 16 minutes. The defense claims his words were stripped of context to construct a false narrative.

At the heart of the dispute is a controversial 2004 episode involving contestant Shandi Sullivan in Italy. In the docuseries, Sullivan described being the victim of an alleged sexual assault after losing consciousness due to alcohol. However, in the original show, the incident was presented as a televised infidelity.

The docuseries makes it seem like Banks is avoiding answering the case with evasive answers. However, the lawsuit claims that the filmmakers deliberately withheld Sullivan's testimony before the interview to visually trap him.

“They made it appear that Ms. Banks knew that she was being asked about a sexual assault and that she was trying to evade the subject,” the document dictates.

Tyra Banks, who made it clear that she respects Sullivan's bravery in speaking out, requested compensation for the loss of future business contracts and severe damage to her personal brand.