Tyra Banks’ Fight for Unaired Documentary Footage, Explained
Tyra Banks’ defamation lawsuit against Netflix is heating up. Now, the supermodel is requesting the raw, uncut footage that never actually made it into Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model. Producers have balked at the request, and now everyone is weighing in on whether or not Banks actually has a right to see the footage. Let’s take a look back at how the legal drama all started.
Tyra Banks filed a lawsuit in June
In June, Tyra Banks filed a defamation lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court against Netflix, along with directors Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy and production company EverWonder Studio, over the docuseries Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model. According to the complaint, Banks sat for a three-and-a-half-hour interview, but only 16 minutes made it into the final cut. According to Banks, her footage was “stripped of context and reassembled to support a false and defamatory narrative.” Banks’ team argues that the editing process was purposefully defamatory.
The central allegation involves Banks’ interview about former contestant Shandi Sullivan, who has said she believes she was sexually assaulted while filming the show’s second season. Banks claims the documentary implied she knowingly allowed the assault to happen and exploited Sullivan’s trauma for ratings. Her lawsuit alleges that unaired footage actually shows Banks nodding and saying she did remember Sullivan’s story. The aired footage made it seem like she didn’t recall the incident or Sullivan at all.
The fight over unaired footage
As the defamation lawsuit moves forward, Tyra Banks is making a bid to see her own unused footage. She is also seeking access to interview material from others who appeared in the documentary. Recent court documents show she’s now seeking unaired footage from her former collaborators Miss J Alexander, Nigel Barker, and Jay Manuel. Her legal team argues this material could reveal whether their statements were softened, sharpened, or recontextualized in the editing process. Banks’ documents go on to suggest the footage could help prove her broader claim that the documentary’s negative framing of her came from editorial choices rather than anything actually said on camera.
There is already some bad blood between Tyra Banks and two of the three collaborators whose footage she’d like to see. Jay Manuel has said Banks grew distant from him after he wanted to leave the show; the two have not spoken in some time, despite being friends while working together. Miss J has said he hasn’t heard from or seen Banks in person since suffering a near-debilitating stroke. Both claims were aired in the documentary.
Netflix is balking at the request. According to TMZ, the defendants are opposing Banks’ request for the raw footage, along with related internal communications about her. Netflix has separately filed a motion to dismiss the entire lawsuit. The streaming giant argues that Banks’ complaints amount to ordinary editorial decisions protected by the agreement she signed. According to Netflix, Banks’ contract granted filmmakers sole editing rights. Their legal team claims she had “no right to review or approve” the finished product.
The case remains in its early stages, and no trial date has been set.
