Netflix is no stranger to backlash, in fact, the streamer thrives on it! The latest controversy involves the hit scammer show, Inventing Anna, but, surprisingly, the fallout is not from notorious grifter Anna Delvey, the show’s main protagonist.
The series follows a dramatized version of Delvey’s various scamming antics, including a very real trip that was funded by her friend Rachel Williams, a former Vanity Fair editor. Williams was forced to use her own credit cards while vacationing in Morocco with Devley, who posed as a rich heiress and allegedly conned Willaims out of nearly $62,000 for the trip.
Williams is unhappy with how she was portrayed in the series, and played by actress Kaite Lowes. Williams is filing a defamation case, claiming that her character came off as “greedy” despite the fact that the show is a little ambiguous about what is true and what is false when it comes to Delvey.
The lawsuit claims that “Netflix made a deliberate decision for dramatic purposes to show Williams doing or saying things in the Series which portray her as a greedy, snobbish, disloyal, dishonest, cowardly, manipulative and opportunistic person.” Williams had previously sold the rights to her story to HBO after writing a successful book about the ordeal, which took place in 2017.
Williams hopes to clear her name, though the damage is probably already done: the series debuted in February and snagged two Emmy noms. “The Series has been viewed by millions of people around the world, and as a result of Netflix’s false portrayal of her as a despicable person, she has been subjected to a torrent of online abuse which have caused her personal humiliation, distress, and anguish, as well as damages to her earnings and/or potential earnings,” the complaint reads, citing the fact that Netflix used her real name and distinguishing traits in the series, which allegedly do not reflect Williams as a person.
What would Anna Delvey think of all this? She’s busy putting on VIP art shows and pushing her NFTs from jail, so she’ll probably be fine.