'America's Got Talent' News: Host Tyra Banks Allegedly Traumatizes Contestants' Child
Tyra Banks, current host of NBC's talent search program "America's Got Talent," is being sued for allegedly harassing a young girl when her parents were auditioning for the show. The network will not be airing the segment that features the couple's performance.
The couple filed an 18-page lawsuit last Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that Banks committed civil battery as well as civil assault. The couple claims that the former "Top Model" host "physically manipulated and verbally abused" their child.
The pair pressed for just compensation for the damages they have caused. In addition, they demanded the network to take their segment out of their broadcast.
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The contestants performed a song they wrote about and for their daughter. Banks, who was with the child backstage, reportedly made fun of it. To add, she implied that the girl was conceived by accident. After their appearance on the show, the daughter, according to the couple, appeared to be traumatized and got depressed.
"We take great care of all acts that cross the 'AGT' stage and their families," FremantleMedia said in a statement to the Daily News. "Tyra has been an incredible addition to 'AGT' with her vibrant energy and maternal nurturing spirit, and we look forward to continuing to watch her positive influence on the show."
The parent company announced that the suit is bound to be dismissed as it is being settled. A spokesperson for the complainants' law firm confirmed that the case will be solved ''amicably." More importantly, the network has agreed to exclude the episode featuring the family from the broadcast.
The complaint kept the couple anonymous. It only addressed them as Jane and John Doe.
"America's Got Talent" will launch its 12th season on Tuesday, May 30, on NBC. On the judges' panel this season are Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Mel B.
More updates should arrive soon.
