Tyra Banks unveiled the mask when she sat down for a Netflix documentary to address criticism of her modeling show.
The three-part series, “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model,” explores its cultural impact and the controversies that occurred behind-the-scenes.
In response to the backlash over the damaging documentary, Banks kept quiet and later filed a defamation lawsuit.
That same month, Bank announced she was taking a recurring seat at another judging table, “Project Runway.”
She joined as a guest judge alongside celebrity stylist Law Roach.
The new season began on July 9, the same day the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” shared a new Instagram video.
In it, Banks shared why she accepted the offer to join “Project Runway” after appearing as a guest judge.
She said she received a call late last year asking her to join “Project Runway” as a judge.
“And it was at a time when I needed that because I was going through a lot,” Banks explained.
“So I stepped on that set the first day and I was nervous and I’m never nervous. But there was so much going through my head, so much I was going through. But that set was everything.”
Banks accepted due to her friendship with the host, Heidi Klum, and her own experience in the fashion industry.
The Victoria’s Secret model said the cast welcomed her warmly. She added that seeing another friend and supermodel she once shared the runway with put her at ease.
“And I was ready chile. I was so ready,” Banks said. The video then blacks out with the words “I’m back on Project Runway” appearing.
Many fans celebrated Banks’ new role. Others, however, held grudges over the bombshell allegations raised in the latest “America’s Next Top Model” exposé.
One social media user said, “The tyra banks disrespect needs to stop like cmon now.. it’s TYRA BANKS.”
Some wondered if she needed a positive moment to spin in the press, as one typed, “She wants to rehab her image from ANTM.”
Another person commented, “Has she responded to that documentary?”
Netflix released “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model” in February. The documentary examined the complicated legacy of Banks’ early-2000s modeling competition.
In her lawsuit, Banks states that she sat down for a three-hour interview that was chopped down to 16 minutes. She claimed to be unaware of the allegations against her by other judges and some of the model contestants.
The documentary also alleged that Banks threatened to eliminate a contestant who refused to close a gap in her teeth.
“Bull fucking Shit”
— Block Topickz (@BlockTopickz) February 13, 2026
-ANTM winner Danielle Evans on Tyra Banks pressuring her to close a gap in her teeth, in a clip from the upcoming docuseries
Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model debuts Monday, Feb. 16, on Netflix. https://t.co/kKC9J0fKP7 pic.twitter.com/npqwpq6VIp
Others criticized Banks for approving controversial challenges created by creative director Jay Manuel. One required contestants to change their ethnicity, prompting backlash because some models appeared in blackface.
Cycle 2 contestant Shandi Sullivan also made one of the documentary’s most serious allegations. She said the show portrayed her as a cheating woman after an encounter with a man in Italy while drunk and unconscious.
Sullivan said producers ignored how violated she felt after an encounter and even filmed her confession to her boyfriend. She was later invited onto Banks’ talk show to revisit the incident.
The “Life-Size” actress slammed the doc for falsely suggesting she allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted during filming.
Banks denied that she exploited Sullivan’s trauma for ratings and rejected the doc’s claims that “ANTM” sensationalized the experience.
The public always assumed Banks had full control over the show. But she and other model contestants say she’s not the only one who contributed to the behind-the-scenes chaos.
Her lawsuit is against Netflix and the documentary’s directors, Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan. She accused them of manipulating the truth.
She is also seeking damages for lost business opportunities, lost income, and other financial losses.
Neither Netflix nor the directors have responded, and a trial date has not yet been set.
