Tyra Banks filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix and the directors of its “America’s Next Top Model” docuseries, claiming they manipulated hours of interview footage to support a false narrative about her role on the show.
The lawsuit, filed on Saturday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, says that the three-part docuseries, “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model,” which premiered on Netflix in February, defamed Ms. Banks by implication and portrayed her in a false light.
The lawsuit also claims breach of contract and false endorsement. The production company EverWonder Studio is also named as a defendant.
Representatives for Netflix, as well as for the show’s directors, Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan, and EverWonder Studio did not respond to requests for comment on Sunday. A representative for Ms. Banks declined to comment.
“Reality Check,” which explored the legacy of triumphs and controversies of “America’s Next Top Model,” drew a variety of responses. Some questioned why it had taken so long to scrutinize the show, which ran in the United States for 24 seasons (or “cycles,” in the show’s parlance) between 2003 and 2018. Others wanted to hold Ms. Banks, who created, hosted and executive produced “America’s Next Top Model,” accountable for the show’s missteps, which included asking models to pose as people who were homeless, bulimic, drug-addicted or victims of violent crime, and requesting them to adopt different races or ethnicities.
Ms. Banks says in her lawsuit that the producers did not share enough of her responses from the three-and-a-half-hour interview she had given to them, in which she answered questions about the show’s history, including criticism of decisions that she says she would approach differently today.
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Hank Azaria wasn’t too happy that Taylor Swift got courtside seats at Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
During a recent appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, The Simpsons actor said that “it was crazy in there celebritywise” at the Wednesday night match between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. However, you “only see the A+ list down at the bottom.”
“I’ll tell you the one that bothered me was Taylor Swift,” Azaria admitted. “I know she’s the hugest thing in the world, but we had to sit with her all through the NFL (as the Grammy winner is engaged to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce) and now she’s at the Garden. Come on.”
“It’s not that I question why she’d get the seat. I’m just tired of the whole Taylor sports…” he continued before adding that it’s “ridiculous” that she got three courtside seats as Alana and Este Haim were also with Swift.
Azaria, a longtime Knicks fan, went on to explain the challenging process for how celebrities score complimentary tickets to games at Madison Square Garden.
“You don’t know from the Garden if you’re going to get in until that day,” he said. “If you’re Ben Stiller or Tracy Morgan, you know. I think Spike [Lee] actually pays for his tickets. So they don’t let you know until day-of because there’s such high demand.”
After not making the cut for complimentary tickets to Game 3, The Idol actor said he was able to get in for free to Game 4. However, Azaria thought it was “horrible” that his seats were in the arena’s Cisco Suites, located within the upper bowl.
“I know I’m not courtside, but I think they’ve [MSG] got me good seats. But we’re way up in what they call the Cisco Suites, which are like the ceiling,” he recalled, noting that other stars such as Quest Love, Rain Wilson, Ed Burns, Jeremy Strong, Aaron Judge and Christy Turlington were also in the same area. “Like there’s so many folks who want in that they’ve stuck us all up in the rafters.”
“Celebrities are scattered throughout the entire garden,” Azaria added. “You only see the A+ list down at the bottom. Everybody else is like stuck wherever.”
Despite not receiving his ideal seats for the game, the actor said he was “just happy to be in there” overall.

NEW YORK (AP) — Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day,” billed as his first popcorn movie in years, launched with $44 million in domestic theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.
“Disclosure Day” opened largely as expected, collecting $92.9 million worldwide over its first weekend. That was good enough to give the 79-year-old Spielberg, who conceived the film’s story, his best opening weekend for an original movie, not accounting to inflation.
Of course, Spielberg is the father of the modern blockbuster. But “Disclosure Day,” released by Universal Pictures, is his first summer movie in 10 years. And it opened in a much different movie world than once greeted “Jaws” or “Jurassic Park.” Its closest competition was the indie horror hit “Obsession,” directed by a YouTuber-turned-filmmaker, Curry Barker, more than 50 years Spielberg’s junior.
“It played very, very evenly across all of the U.S. and Canada,” said Jim Orr, distribution chief for Universal. “It did not come across as a coastal big-market movie. It resonated with everybody.”
While a much-watched NBA finals game might have been expected to depress ticket sales, at least in New York, Orr said there was no noticeable dip in the city’s box office numbers Saturday night.
After Gen Z propelled moviegoing for the last several weeks, a slightly older audience drove interest in “Disclosure Day.” Some 41% of moviegoers were aged 45 and up.
“What’s encouraging is that we had this big an opening with that audience demographic and with the fact that it’s an original film,” said Orr. “So if we’re opening this well, and we think we’re going to have great word-of-mouth, and we have an older audience that doesn’t necessarily rush out on opening weekend, all of that points to a great run through the summer.”
“Disclosure Day” returns Spielberg to the subject of alien life. Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor and Colman Domingo star in a chase to reveal government evidence of UFO encounters. It cost $115 million to make.
While a good start, “Disclosure Day” — like most original movies — will depend on strong legs to be successful. Reviews (80% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) have been strong, though audience response wasn’t overwhelming. The movie landed a “B” CinemaScore.
“It’s off to a solid start,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Rentrak. “Let’s see how it plays in the coming weeks. If it holds like some of these other films have, like ‘Project Hail Mary,’ ‘Michael,’ ‘Obsession,’ it will be in good shape. Staying power has been the bread and butter of this year and this summer.”
Meanwhile, the “Obsession” sensation continues. Though it originally opened with $17.2 million, the Focus Features release has exceeded that for four consecutive weekends. It did so again this weekend, collecting $19 million in ticket sales to bring its North American haul to $188.3 million and its worldwide total to $286.5 million.
Having cost less than $1 million to make, “Obsession” ranks among the most profitable releases in recent memory. Focus acquired it for $15 million.
Last weekend’s top film, “Scary Movie,” slid to third place with $14.5 million. The Paramount Pictures release, the sixth entry in the horror spoof franchise, dropped steeply from its opening weekend, down 73%. But with a modest production budget of $30 million, the Miramax-produced sequel is already a considerable success. Its two-week domestic total is $88.6 million.
A24’s “Backrooms” added $11.3 million domestically in its third weekend. It’s rapidly grossed $262.3 million globally.
In its second weekend, Amazon MGM’s “Masters of the Universe” fell fast following a disappointing launch. Its box office dropped 71% with $8.7 million. Its two-week domestic total stands at $46.7 million
Next weekend, The Walt Disney Co.’s “Toy Story 5” opens with big expectations at the box office.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:
1. “Disclosure Day,” $44 million.
2. “Obsession,” $19 million.
3. “Scary Movie,” $14.5 million.
4. “Backrooms,” $11.3 million.
5. “Masters of the Universe,” $8.7 million.
6. “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” $4.7 million.
7. “Michael,” $4.1 million.
8. “The Furious,” $2.8 million.
9. “Stop! That! Train!” $2 million.
10. “The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act,” $1.8 million.

Steven Spielberg’s alien conspiracy thriller “Disclosure Day” collected a leading $48.9 million from 73 territories in its international box office debut.
Overseas audiences will be key in the theatrical longevity of “Disclosure Day,” which Universal spent $115 million to produce and $80 million to market. Since about half of revenues go to theater owners, the movie needs to generate roughly $300 million globally to justify its price tag. Along with $44 million in North America, “Disclosure Day” has generated $92.9 million after three days of release. Reviews are positive, but audience reactions have been mixed, so a bigger question is how the film will endure on the big screen.
Spielberg is a household name through blockbusters like “Jaws,” “Jurassic Park” and Raiders of the Lost Arc,” and his movies are known to enjoy staying power at the box office. His prior summer blockbuster, 2018’s “Ready Player One,” for example, opened to $41 million and ended up with $137 million domestically and $607 million worldwide.
“Disclosure Day” stars Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor as a meteorologist and a cybersecurity expert who join forces to expose the government’s cover-up of extraterrestrial life. The movie had a notable turnout on premium large format screens, including Imax, which accounted for $6.5 million or 15% of overseas grosses. Top territories for “Disclosure Day” were the United Kingdom and Ireland with $7.6 million, Mexico with $3.9 million, China with $2.9 million and France with $2.9 million.
“Sci-fi thrillers do well abroad, [so] foreign business should be good,” predicts David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. “If there’s softness overseas,” he notes, “it’s because China has shrunk so dramatically as a market for U.S. films.”
Elsewhere, “Michael” is nearing another box office milestone after adding $17 million internationally and $21 million globally in its eighth weekend of release. The musical biopic about Michael Jackson has generated $932.2 million worldwide to date and will soon eclipse the $950 million mark. Should ticket sales keep climbing and surpass $975 million, “Michael” will overtake “Oppenheimer” as the highest-grossing biopic of all time. The film has already dethroned “Bohemian Rhapsody” ($911 million) as the biggest musical biopic in history.
Other big-budget tentpoles have less to celebrate. Amazon MGM’s toy adaptation “Masters of the Universe” added a paltry $8.4 million from 86 markets in its second weekend of release, bringing its overseas tally to just $39.4 million. The otherworldly adventure, based on the Mattel toy that was popular in the ’80s, is approaching bomb status with $45.7 million domestically and $84 million globally against a mighty budget of nearly $200 million.
Meanwhile, Disney’s “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” continues to struggle, earning $7.1 million from 52 markets in its fourth frame. The family-friendly film, a spinoff of the popular Disney+ series “The Mandalorian,” has collected $150 million overseas and $315 million globally against a $165 million price tag. It’s shaping up to be the lowest-earning “Star Wars” movie of all time, an ignominious distinction that currently belongs to 2018’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story” with $179 million internationally and $392 million worldwide, not adjusted for inflation.

There aren’t a whole lot of people who can relate to Bill Mumy’s childhood. In the 1960s, he was among the busiest child actors in Hollywood. “I was the first American actor to get a kiss from Brigitte Bardot!” he said, thanks to his starring role in 1965’s “Dear Brigitte.”
It was a career born of roughhousing at the age of six: “So, one day I’m in my Zorro outfit and I’m jumping off of the bed, and I cracked my left leg, like in half,” he said. “But, it was my lucky break! So, I was sitting there in a cast watching ‘Zorro’ and ‘Superman,’ and I very passionately said to my parents, ‘That is what I want to do. I want to be inside the television.'”
He was the son of a California cattle rancher, and a secretary at 20th Century Fox, who kept meticulous track of her son’s work. “She kept a record of my gigs,” Mumy said, showing us her notes from May of 1961: “Did a ‘Twilight Zone’ called ‘It’s a Good Life.’ Billy did a wonderful job. $600.”
Mumy did three episodes of “The Twilight Zone” on TV, and worked with movie stars like Jimmy Stewart and Lucille Ball, all before he was ten. He learned how to behave from Cloris Leachman, and how not to behave from Alfred Hitchcock (who directed him in an episode of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” called “Bang! You’re Dead”), who was mean to a fidgety seven-year-old on set. “And this is exactly what he said: ‘If you don’t stop moving about, I’m going to get a nail, and I’m going to nail your feet to your mark, and the blood will come pouring out like milk,'” said Mumy.
But all of that was prologue, because in 1965, Mumy got famous – “action figure” famous – starring as Will Robinson, the youngest member of a marooned space-age Swiss Family Robinson, for three seasons of “Lost in Space.”
At its peak, more than 25 million viewers a week watched the adventures Mumy shared with his sidekick, a robot named B-9.
Sixty years later, asked what it’s like to stand next to a B-9 replica built by Hollywood robot builder Fred Barton, Mumy replied, “I think he still looks great. I wish I was in a purple velour and a turtleneck right now going to work with him!”
The robot would warn Mumy of one threat or another, with one of TV’s most enduring catch-phrases: “Danger, Will Robinson!” – something random strangers still shout when seeing him. “I accepted it as a blessing,” he said. “How many people have something that people want to shout out at them, right? It’s cool!”
When “Lost in Space” ended in 1968, of course, Mumy was sad: “And I cried. I actually can remember sitting on the blue couch in our den, and putting my head in my mom’s lap and her just kind of petting my head going, ‘That’s showbiz, honey.'”
And this is where the story gets both really interesting and highly instructive. Mumy avoided the headlines other child stars could not when the bright lights fade.
Mumy said, “There are a lot of child stars who had sad endings, and when that one experience of a long-running television show was over, they weren’t treated special anymore, and they had to find out who they were.”
But Bill Mumy already knew who he was. Despite being one of the most prolific child actors of the 1960s, what he was connected to more than anything else was music. Acting is something he does. Music is who he is.
“I don’t want to diminish my enjoyment of acting,” he said. “I know the craft of acting and I’m comfortable whenever I do it. But if I’m not doing it, it’s not like I go home and act. It’s not like my wife Eileen and I sit around and do plays in the living room. But what I do do is, I play guitar and piano and music all the time.”
For the nearly 60 years since “Lost in Space” folded, Mumy has performed with his own bands (including the duo Barnes & Barnes); toured with groups like America; and been an Emmy-nominated songwriter (for “Adventures in Wonderland”).
At the age of 72, Mumy still acts and does plenty of voiceover work. But while it’s music that fuels him (he just released a new album, “Will Power”), it’s still not the most important ingredient in the recipe for staying grounded. “It’s my family,” he said. “This is the good stuff right here. This is the A-Roll!”
Bill Mumy has captured something that’s eluded so many others touched by fame at an early age: an understanding that the only applause that matters is for how he does as husband, father and grandfather. To this Hollywood fixture for more than six-and-a-half decades, those were the only roles worth chasing: “In the big picture, I’d much rather be me and have a wonderful relationship with my wife and my son and my daughter and my grandchildren, than have more gold records and, you know, two divorces and alimony and unhappiness,” he said.
“So, you can look back on the whole picture of your life and say, I’m good?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah! I can look back on the whole picture of my life and say, I’m real good!” Mumy laughed.
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Watch an extended interview with Bill Mumy (Video)
You can stream Bill Mumy’s album “Will Power” by clicking on the embed below (Free Spotify registration required to hear the tracks in full):
For more info:
billmumy.com
Bill Mumy Discography
Bill Mumy recordings at GRA Group
the-robotman.com
“The Twilight Zone” episode “It’s a Good Life” can be streamed on Paramount+