Tyra Banks Gets Personal In Escalating Netflix Battle

Tyra Banks wants to get to the root of the latest documentary about her time on “America’s Next Top Model”!

The runway model had expressed her displeasure about some of the comments made by her former pals Miss J Alexander and Jay Manuel to Netflix during the production of the documentary.

Tyra Banks had dragged the producers behind the project to court, claiming that they contributed to the circulation of a false narrative about her by manipulating footage from her interview to paint an inaccurate picture.

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The supermodel has expressed in her new filing that she wishes to see some exclusive footage about her former pals Miss J and Jay Manuel’s testimony about her to Netflix. She added that the final version released to the public was a product of editorial decisions and not the whole story.

The television personality noted that she is entitled to acquire the unedited footage of all their interviews, alongside the duo who worked on all the popular series. Hence, Banks has decided to proceed with a defamation lawsuit, as she insisted that claims about her exploiting a contestant’s sexual assault on the show for views were untrue. 

The media personality added that she did not want to break any silence about the incident, adding, “It’s a little difficult for me to talk about production because that’s not my territory.” As shared by TMZ, Banks continued that she did not know Shandi Sullivan considered the incident a sexual assault or that she would appear in the project.

Netflix Made Stern Demands In Response To The Model’s Lawsuit

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Banks had insisted that the way the situation panned out left a dent on her reputation, but the streaming giant hit back in August with claims that Banks’ allegations were watery and should be dismissed.

As noted by The Blast, a representative for Netflix affirmed to US Weekly that their directors Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy are experienced documentarians who would not play that kind of politics. 

Netflix’s spokesperson stressed that Banks was given a level playing field to share her experiences in the documentary, which was fairly portrayed by the producers alongside other participants.

Banks had claimed in her lawsuit that she had a no-holds-barred questioning session while shooting the documentary, which lasted for three hours, but to her shock, only sixteen minutes of that interaction made it out.

The media personality added that she was looking forward to viewers seeing her take accountability for some things that went down on “ANTM.”

More From The Blast

Tyra Banks Received Support From Her Industry Peers

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The television personality has not picked up the mantle against Netflix without a support system in her corner. Fellow supermodel Eva Marcille went public with her support as she praised Banks during an appearance on Andy Cohen’s show.

Marcille tagged the production of the documentary as shady, as she revealed that she was not approached to participate in the project because her story may dismantle whatever narrative the producers had in mind.

She continued that the documentary is biased and unbalanced towards Banks, but she believed the model will overcome it thanks to her fierce and unbeatable nature.

As for how far Banks can take her battle with Netflix, a legal expert, Rachel Bennett, explained that producers are often protected by the First Amendment, making it taxing for Banks to identify at what point the defamation occurred.

The 52-Year-Old’s Pal Miss J Alexander Admitted Readiness to Mend Fences

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In her confession in the docuseries, Alexander revealed that he had a stroke and spent over a month in a coma. As stated by The Blast, Alexander continued that Banks had promised to come visit him during the ordeal, but she never showed up.

Banks and the media personality enjoyed a close friendship during the time on the “ANTM,” leading to heightened attention around Alexander’s confession about a strain in their friendship in the documentary.

Despite all that had happened, sources close to Alexander told TMZ that she carried no bad energy towards Banks and wished her well. They added that all Alexander wanted was a phone call or a visit in person rather than the text message she had sent during his lengthy stay at the hospital, which had a crushing effect on his mobility.

Tyra Banks Unveiled The Reason Behind Her Latest Creative Adventure

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The supermodel has been a household name for decades in the fashion industry. Earlier this year, she intensified that reign when she announced on Instagram that she would be joining the team of judges on the 22nd season of “Project Runway.”

Banks explained that it had been a long time coming for her presence on the show, as she was approached late last year, but she initially had strong reservations about joining. However, she admitted that she needed something challenging to get over all she had been going through, and it came at the perfect time.

She described the energy on set as very warm and endearing, adding that seeing Heidi Klum’s face on set as the host gave her huge reassurance about being in the right space with the right people.

Will Tyra Banks and Netflix eventually find common ground amid this chaos?