On June 13, 2026, television host and producer Tyra Banks filed a defamation and false-light lawsuit against Netflix in Los Angeles federal court, accusing the streaming giant of using deceptive editing in a documentary series to destroy her reputation.
On The Megyn Kelly Show, host Megyn Kelly broke down the specific allegations in the lawsuit, starting with the portrayal of Banks's relationship with former America's Next Top Model judge Miss Jay Alexander. Kelly noted that the documentary framed Banks as incredibly callous after Alexander suffered a medical emergency, observing that "Tyra's a bitch. That's clearly what they're going for." In her lawsuit, Banks counters that she was living in Australia for two and a half years at the time and was never given a chance to explain her absence.
The lawsuit also tackles how the documentary handled a highly controversial incident involving contestant Shandi Sullivan. Kelly explained that Banks is suing over edits that made her seem indifferent to a serious situation, noting that "she's claiming they made her look pretty heartless, like she didn't even remember this girl." According to the complaint, Banks was never told that the contestant perceived the encounter as a sexual assault, and would have stopped the interview had she known.
As the legal battle heads to federal court, the case will put a spotlight on the editing practices of reality TV retrospectives. Whether Banks can successfully prove actual malice against Netflix remains to be seen, but the high-profile fight is bound to make documentary producers think twice before cutting together their next villain arc.