Tyra Banks Slapped with a Lawsuit & Accused of Verbal Assault

Tyra Banks has been a very busy person this year. She was not only brought back to host the upcoming season of “America’s Next Top Model,” but she is also hosting “America’s Got Talent.”

However, she has been accused of unsavory behavior on the set of AGT, which involved a little girl.

According to Page Six, Tyra is being accused of verbally assaulting and physically manipulating the girl backstage of an AGT taping.

Page Six writes:

A woman referred to as Jane Doe is suing the production company behind “America’s Got Talent,” claiming that her young daughter was traumatized when host Tyra Banks “physically manipulated and verbally abused” the girl.

According to the 18-page suit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, it seems that the adult plaintiff and her husband were “publicly humiliated” by the “AGT” judges and some audience members during a March 19 performance. The duo were performing a song they wrote about motherhood that celebrated the young girl’s birth and “bond among the members of her family.” It says the song is “especially favored” by the girl — ID’d as Mary Doe in the filing — among her parents’ works.

But apparently Banks, the judges and some in the crowd were unmoved. The suit claims that during the performance, Banks, “an individual acting as an agent of Defendants, physically manipulated and verbally abused Mary. Banks shook Mary’s shoulder, pulled Mary’s hair back and physically manipulated Mary. … Mary did not stop Banks’ conduct because Mary was fearful. Banks also insinuated that Mary was accidentally conceived, made fun of the performance and ridiculed [the song] in front of Mary, all in front of active cameras that were filming Mary. After the performance, Banks asked Mary to describe, in front of active and filming cameras, her opinion about Jane and her husband after they were publicly ridiculed by ‘AGT.’ … As a result of her negative experience from ‘AGT’ and Defendants’ abusive treatment, Mary was traumatized and became deeply depressed.”

The suit adds that, a few weeks later, the plaintiffs asked that “AGT” not televise or publish any footage of their performance and the child’s reaction. It claims that Marathon execs agreed not to feature Mary as part of the program and “acknowledged Mary’s emotional distress.” But the plaintiffs also wanted the song’s performance kept off the air, for fear of causing “further emotional distress.” The lawsuit says “AGT” “maintained that they will exploit all footages of Jane and her husband and that they will not air those footages in their entirety.”