Tyra Banks will be returning to Project Runway as a recurring judge amid her lawsuit over Netflix’s America’s Next Top Model docuseries.
Hulu released the official trailer on Thursday, June 18, in which Banks, 52, was seen joining judges Heidi Klum, Law Roach and Nina Garcia, as well as season 4 winner Christian Siriano, who returns as a mentor, for season 22 of the hit competition series.
Banks previously appeared on Project Runway as a guest judge in season 21. Her return comes after news broke that she filed a lawsuit against Netflix following backlash over her participation in its docuseries Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.
In the suit filed on Saturday, June 13, Banks accused Netflix of defamation and editing her interviews to support a false narrative.
“Tyra Banks participated in the Netflix documentary series America’s Next Top Model (‘ANTM’) because she believed viewers deserved a candid conversation about the show’s legacy — its successes and its shortcomings,” read a portion of the filing. “There are aspects of the show for which Ms. Banks takes accountability and she wanted ANTM viewers to hear that from her directly. Going into her interview, Ms. Banks did not limit the ANTM topics the interviewer could ask.”
The lawsuit continued: “During a three-and-a-half-hour interview, Ms. Banks answered questions about the show’s groundbreaking history, including criticism of decisions she would approach differently today.” The filing noted that only 16 minutes of Banks’ interview made the final cut.
America’s Next Top Model ran from 2003 to 2018 before getting canceled. Earlier this year, Netflix did a deep dive into the series with Reality Check, which featured rare interviews with executive producers Banks and Ken Mok and former judges Jay Manuel, Miss J. Alexander and Nigel Barker as they broke down the reality competition’s best — and worst — moments.
Contestants also opened up about their experiences behind the scenes, which included discrimination, sexual assault and more shocking claims. Whitney Thompson, Giselle Samson, Shannon Stewart, Shandi Sullivan, Danielle Evans and Keenyah Hill were some of the alums who weighed in on their experiences.
“I wanted to fight against the fashion industry. One day, this idea just hit me. What if I created a show where you saw what it took to become a model?” Banks explained in the three-part special, which premiered in February. “And for this show to represent not all white, not all skinny and to just show all the differences and all the different types of beauties. I had a feeling that I was gonna change the beauty world.”
Banks also addressed the show’s controversial legacy.
“Looking at that show through the lens of today, it’s like, ‘Why did you do that?’ I thank you for that. That is the only way you change. That is the only way you get better is by somebody calling you out on your s***,” Banks said at the time. “It is important. I want to let you know that I want you guys to be just as open as I am now by getting called on my s*** by when somebody calls you out on yours. Because that day will come and continue to evolve. Because that’s what we’re all doing.”
Netflix has yet to publicly respond to Banks’ lawsuit.
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