'Amazing Race' Contestants Jonathan & Ana Towns Sue CBS & Producers for $8 Million, Claim Defamation
Jonathan Towns and Ana Rivera Towns have filed an $8 million lawsuit against CBS and the producers of The Amazing Race, nearly a year after they competed as contestants in season 37.
The married parents came in third place in the spring 2025 season of the long-running competition series and their appearance caused a lot of controversy.
Jonathan received a lot of backlash for the way he appeared to be treating Ana on the show, including one moment where he called her a “terrible partner.” He later revealed that he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) following the race.
“Looking back at what I was seeing, and knowing what I know about myself now, it’s so hard for me to be supportive and helpful to somebody when my brain is in this overheated state,” Jonathan said. “When I’m on The Race, unlike when I’m at home, I cannot control the external factors. I have no control – my routines are completely non-existent. And we rely on – people like me rely on routines in order to help us regulate our emotions and to control the amount of stimulus that we can get at any given time.”
Now, Jonathan and Ana say they were defamed by the show.
Keep reading to find out more…
Deadline reports that the lawsuit claims that CBS, Paramount, and producers ABC Signatue and Jerry Bruckheimer Films unleashed a “smear strategy so audacious and immoral that would shock the conscience of even the most cynical propagandist.”
“The resulting broadcast, disseminated to tens of millions of viewers on a nationally distributed television network, falsely portrayed Jonathan Towns, a private individual with no antecedent public profile, as a morally depraved, brutal and abusive spouse,” the lawsuit claims.
In addition to an $8 million judgment, the couple wants the show to be re-edited to include “appropriate disclaimers” of Jonathan’s condition.
TMZ notes that the couple claims the producers omitted material that would have shown Jonathan in a “humanizing” light.
After the finale, Ana spoke out to defend Jonathan‘s behavior on the show.