Tyra Lynne Banks
12 min read
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2,304
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2
Awards
Tyra Banks, born in Los Angeles in 1973, became the first Black woman on the covers of GQ and Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue. She created and hosted America’s Next Top Model in 2003, a show that ran for over a decade and promoted diversity. Banks also won two Daytime Emmys for The Tyra Banks Show and Forbes estimated her 2007 earnings at $18 million.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Tyra Banks — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Tyra Banks by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Tyra Banks — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Tyra Lynne Banks was born in Los Angeles, California on December 4, 1973. Her parents, Carolyn London and Don Banks, divorced when she was six. She was raised in Inglewood with her older brother Devin. At age 11, she grew four inches and lost 30 pounds, leading to teasing at Immaculate Heart High School. She began modeling at 15 after signing with Elite Model Management, and dropped out of Loyola Marymount University at 17 to pursue modeling full-time.
Banks achieved supermodel status in the 1990s. She became a Victoria’s Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005 and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue three times, first in 1997. In 2003, she created America’s Next Top Model, which ran for over a decade and promoted diversity. She also hosted The Tyra Banks Show, earning two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host. Her acting credits include The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Higher Learning, and Coyote Ugly.
Banks was in a relationship with banker John Utendahl, which ended in December 2011. From 2013 to 2017, she was with Erik Asla, with whom she has a son, York Banks Asla, born January 27, 2016. Her mother Carolyn London worked as her manager. Banks is godmother to Kimora Lee Simmons’s daughter Ming Lee and served as maid of honor at Kimora’s wedding. She and Naomi Campbell reconciled on her talk show in 2005.
Banks was one of the first Black supermodels. She used her platform to advocate for diversity and body positivity. Her creation of America’s Next Top Model in 2003 changed the modeling industry by focusing on mentorship and inclusion. She was named one of Time’s most influential people multiple times and received a diploma from Harvard Business School in 2012. Banks is a media mogul and advocate.
The complete filmography of Tyra Banks — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Tyra Banks — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Tyra Banks — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
Self-love Has Very Little to Do with How You Feel About Your Outer Self. It’s About Accepting All of Yourself. You’ve Got to Learn to Accept the Fool in You as Well as the Part That’s Got It Goin’ On.
Black Women Have Always Been These Vixens, These Animalistic, Erotic Women. Why Can’t We Be the Sexy All-American Girl Next Door?
Believe It or Not, I Just Really Know How to Pose Well. It Took Me Five Years to Learn What My Best Angles Are.
I’m a Perfectionist. Sometimes I Have to Remind Myself That It’s OK If There Are Flaws Here and There.
I Took Guitar Before … Well for Two Months but I Remember Nothing. My Fingers Used to Hurt Really Bad When I Played Guitar. I Stopped Because of It.
My Next Huge Steps Will Allow Me to Reach More Women and Young Girls to Help Us All Feel as Fierce as We Truly Are. There’s a Lot Cooking Right Now and a Lot of Fire Burning in My Heart. and I Salute You My Amazing Family of Viewers; Without You There Never Would Have Been a ‘Tyra Show.’ I Really Love You All.
It Hit Me After Graduating from Harvard, We Just Have to Do a College Cycle!
My Grandmom Started Smoking When She Was Thirteen Years Old and She Died of Lung Cancer at Age Fifty. and I Watched Her for Months and Months as the Cancer Spread from Her Lungs to Her Brain, When She, in Fact, Didn’t Even Know Who She Was Anymore. and Ever Since That Day That She Died, I Vowed to Myself That I Would Not Smoke Cigarettes.
Little-known facts about Tyra Banks — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Until season 4 of America’s Next Top Model 2003, Banks would spend an hour with every girl who got kicked off the show, talking with them in private. The producers asked her to stop this.
As a model, Banks had restrictions: no frontal nudity, no birds, no cats, no fish, no cigarettes, no alcohol.
Banks does not drink alcohol.
Her favorite cycle of America’s Next Top Model 2003 is Cycle 1, because the girls did not know what to expect.
Within her first week in Paris, Banks was booked for 25 shows, a record for a newcomer.
Her mother, Carolyn London, is a professional photographer and worked as her manager.
Banks claims that her career was difficult in part because of a rivalry with another black top model, Naomi Campbell. Banks has said that Campbell, who was more famous, would get her thrown off fashion shows.
Her friends used to call her The Black Widow because she would break up with men before they could break up with her.
Banks was the first African-American model to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition Winter 1997. She was captured in a red/pink polka dot bikini by Australian photographer Russel James for the issue that became one of the best-selling covers ever.
In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated her earnings for the year at $18 million.
Banks is one of only four African Americans and seven women to have repeatedly ranked among the world’s most influential people by Time magazine.
She was the first African-American model to appear on the cover of the Victoria’s Secret catalog.
Banks created TZONE, a leadership and life skills development program for primarily disadvantaged teen girls in the greater Los Angeles area. As of 2005, more than 240 girls have gone through the program.
She attended Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, a popular Catholic girls’ school, where she claims classmates made fun of her because of her height and weight.
Banks received a diploma from Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Program on February 23, 2012.
She was the first African-American model to appear on the cover of GQ magazine.
While a high school student, Banks applied to five colleges with the intention of majoring in film and television production.
She dropped out of Loyola University at age 17 to pursue modeling.
Banks and Naomi Campbell reconciled on her talk show, The Tyra Banks Show, in November 2005.
Her brother Devin’s ex-wife and children appeared on an episode of America’s Next Top Model when the models are in Japan.
Banks is allergic to dogs.
To promote a new season of her talk show, Tyra stripped down to a bodysuit to say that her new season was about celebrating inner and outer beauty. She was given a Do Something Award for a celebrity doing good in the world of style.
She has been an advocate against racism in Hollywood.
Banks is godmother of Kimora Lee Simmons’s and Russell Simmons’s daughter Ming Lee.
She served as maid of honor at the wedding of best friend Kimora Lee Simmons to Russell Simmons.
Banks was in a relationship with Erik Asla from 2013 to 2017. They have a son together, York Banks Asla b. January 27, 2016.
When she was eleven, she grew four inches and lost 30 pounds.
Her parents, Carolyn London and Don Banks, divorced when she was six years old.
Banks signed with Elite Model Management her senior year of high school.
In 1994, she started the Tyra Banks Scholarship.
She grew up in Inglewood, California.
Banks was accepted to UCLA and USC.
She wore braces for two and a half years to straighten her teeth.
She was raised in Inglewood, California with her brother Devin, and attended Immaculate Heart High School, an all-girl, independent Catholic private school in Los Angeles.
Banks was a childhood friend of Kenya Barris, co-creator with Ken Mok and her of America’s Next Top Model 2003.
Her first name is Danish and traces back to the Viking era.
Banks ended her four-year relationship with banker John Utendahl on December 13, 2011.
She is friends with Steve Harvey, Heidi Klum, Will Smith, Rebecca Romijn, Paulina Porizkova, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Banks started a singing career with the song Shake Ya Body, introduced on her show America’s Next Top Model 2003.
She played as herself in 1996 Nike commercials with basketball star Penny Hardaway and Little Penny Hardaway voice of Chris Rock.
Banks has said that if she wasn’t modeling, she would be a full-time actress or start an ice cream company.
She has an older brother named Devin.
Banks was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World by People magazine in 1994.
She was chosen by FTC Publications Class-Elite Magazine USA as The Role Model for Models in 2007.
Banks is one of only two people to ever receive the editor’s copy of the FTC Publications International Model’s Guide; the other was Naomi Campbell.
Her mother Carolyn London is her best friend.
Banks attended Harvard Business School starting January 1, 2012.
She was chosen by People USA magazine as one of the most beautiful people in the world.
Banks paid $30,000 of her own money to finance the music video for her song Shake Ya Body, which appeared on her show America’s Next Top Model 2003.
She was a childhood friend of Kenya Barris.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Tyra Banks.
Celebrities similar to Tyra Banks — same craft, ranked by reach.
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