Tyra Banks net worth is $90 million in 2026. She first became famous as one of the defining supermodels of the 1990s, breaking barriers as the first Black woman to appear on the cover of “GQ,” the first Black model to appear on the “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue” cover, and later the first Black woman to appear on that cover by herself. She was also one of the original Victoria’s Secret Angels and became a highly paid commercial model for brands including CoverGirl. Banks ultimately made far more money from television than modeling.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Tyra Lynne Banks |
| Born | December 4, 1973, Inglewood, California |
| Occupation | Model, television personality, producer, actress, entrepreneur |
| Known for | “America’s Next Top Model,” Victoria’s Secret, SMiZE & DREAM |
| Net worth | $90 million (Celebrity Net Worth estimate) |
Early Life
Tyra Lynne Banks was born on December 4, 1973, in Inglewood, California. Her mother, Carolyn London, worked as a medical photographer and later became an important part of Tyra’s management team, while her father, Donald Banks, was a computer consultant. Her parents divorced when Tyra was six years old, and she has an older brother named Devin.
Banks has described herself as an awkward child who underwent a dramatic growth spurt during adolescence. She attended Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles and began modeling at 15. After being rejected by several agencies, she signed with L.A. Models and subsequently moved to Elite Model Management at 16. Banks planned to attend Loyola Marymount University but postponed college when the opportunity arose to model in Europe. The decision quickly paid off.
Supermodel Breakthrough
Banks traveled to Europe in 1991 and became an immediate sensation. During her first season in Paris, she booked 25 fashion shows, an extraordinary number for a newcomer, and walked for designers including Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Valentino, Fendi, and Donna Karan.
As her body changed during her early 20s, she shifted away from the extremely thin standards of European high fashion and toward commercial, lingerie, and swimsuit modeling. That transition made her an even bigger star. Banks signed a major CoverGirl contract and became the first Black woman to appear on the cover of “GQ” in 1996. That same year, she and Argentine model Valeria Mazza appeared together on the cover of the “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue,” making Banks the first Black model to appear on the magazine’s swimsuit cover.
In 1997, Banks appeared alone on the “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue” cover, becoming the first Black woman to receive a solo cover. She also became the first Black model featured on the cover of the Victoria’s Secret catalog and one of the company’s original Angels. Banks walked her first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 1996 and became one of the brand’s most recognizable models. She retired from the runway at the 2005 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show as she increasingly concentrated on television production.
Her modeling retirement did not prove permanent. Banks returned to the cover of the “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue” in 2019 at age 45. She was also part of the magazine’s 60th-anniversary Legends project in 2024, and in October of that year she returned to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, closing the runway nearly two decades after her previous appearance.
Acting Career
Banks began branching into acting while her modeling career was at its peak. In 1993, she landed a recurring role as Jackie Ames, an old friend and love interest of Will Smith’s character, on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” She made her feature-film debut in John Singleton’s 1995 drama “Higher Learning.” Banks subsequently appeared in films including “Love & Basketball,” “Coyote Ugly,” “Halloween: Resurrection,” and “Hannah Montana: The Movie.” One of her best-known acting roles was Eve, a doll who comes to life in the 2000 Disney Channel movie “Life-Size.” Banks returned to the character nearly two decades later for “Life-Size 2.” She also made guest appearances on shows including “Felicity,” “Gossip Girl,” “Glee,” and “Black-ish.”
“America’s Next Top Model”
In 2003, Banks created “America’s Next Top Model,” a reality competition that combined fashion modeling with the elimination format popularized by the reality television boom of the early 2000s. Banks served as the show’s host, executive producer, and chief creative personality.
“America’s Next Top Model” became a massive success. The American version ultimately ran for 24 cycles between 2003 and 2018, moving from UPN to The CW and later VH1. Banks hosted 23 of those cycles, briefly stepping away when Rita Ora hosted the 23rd. The series also became an international franchise, spawning local adaptations around the world. Its photo shoots, makeovers, eliminations, catchphrases, and judging-panel confrontations became fixtures of 2000s pop culture. Banks’ instruction to models to “smize” — smile with their eyes — became so closely associated with her that she eventually incorporated it into her business ventures.
Unlike a television personality hired merely to host someone else’s concept, Banks had an ownership position in “America’s Next Top Model.” Reporting during the height of the series indicated that she owned roughly 25% of the show, in addition to collecting compensation as host and executive producer. That ownership was a major reason television dramatically accelerated her wealth.
Television Earnings
By the mid-2000s, Banks had transformed herself from a highly paid model into one of television’s most successful female entrepreneurs. In addition to owning a portion of “America’s Next Top Model,” she controlled her own production company and held an ownership interest in her daytime talk show.
In 2006, Banks earned more than $18 million from her various businesses and television projects. Her earnings continued climbing as “America’s Next Top Model” and “The Tyra Banks Show” ran simultaneously. Between June 2008 and June 2009, Banks earned an estimated $30 million. She earned roughly the same amount during the following 12-month period, making her one of the highest-paid women on television.
“The Tyra Banks Show” and Other Television Work
Banks launched “The Tyra Banks Show” in 2005 while “America’s Next Top Model” was already thriving. The syndicated daytime program mixed celebrity interviews and fashion segments with episodes about body image, relationships, race, discrimination, self-esteem, and other social issues. The show ran for five seasons and won consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Informative Talk Show in 2008 and 2009. Banks also maintained a substantial ownership stake in the program, allowing her to benefit financially from the show’s success beyond simply receiving a hosting salary. “The Tyra Banks Show” ended in 2010.
Banks continued to move between hosting, judging, and producing after the end of her daytime show. In 2015, she helped launch the syndicated lifestyle talk show “FABLife,” serving as a co-host and executive producer before leaving the daily hosting role. In 2017, Banks replaced Nick Cannon as host of “America’s Got Talent.” She hosted the competition for two seasons before leaving following the 2018 season. In 2020, Banks took over as host and executive producer of “Dancing with the Stars,” succeeding longtime hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews. She hosted three seasons, with Alfonso Ribeiro joining her for her final season, before departing in 2023. Banks returned to fashion competition television in 2026 as a recurring judge on the 22nd season of “Project Runway,” reuniting with fellow model-turned-TV personality Heidi Klum.
SMiZE & DREAM
Ice cream became Banks’ most ambitious consumer business following her television-hosting years. She initially launched the concept as SMiZE Cream in 2021 before developing it into SMiZE & DREAM, a premium ice cream and experiential retail company whose name incorporates her famous “smize” catchphrase. The company experimented with direct-to-consumer sales, pop-ups, events, airline and cruise partnerships, and physical retail.
A planned flagship in Washington, D.C., became the subject of a legal dispute after the company backed out of a 10-year commercial lease. In 2025, the property’s landlord sued Banks, her partner Louis Bélanger-Martin, and a company connected to SMiZE & DREAM for approximately $2.8 million, alleging breach of contract. Banks and her co-defendants disputed the allegations, arguing that the property had significant deficiencies and that the landlord had not delivered what they had been promised. The dispute is reported as competing claims, with no outcome stated here.
Meanwhile, Banks increasingly focused the business on Australia. After repeatedly traveling to Sydney while developing and manufacturing the company’s ice cream, she relocated there with her family. SMiZE & DREAM opened a roughly 3,000-square-foot flagship in Sydney’s Darling Harbour in 2025 and later expanded internationally, including to Dubai. In 2025, the company also attracted considerable attention for “Hot Mama,” a warm dairy dessert Banks marketed as “hot ice cream.”
Books, Beauty, and Business Education
Banks has pursued a number of businesses outside television and ice cream. She launched the cosmetics company TYRA Beauty in 2014 and has operated her various media interests through companies including Bankable Productions and The Tyra Banks Company. She is also an author. Her fantasy novel “Modelland,” released in 2011, became a New York Times bestseller. In 2018, Banks and her mother, Carolyn London, co-wrote “Perfect Is Boring: 10 Things My Crazy, Fierce Mama Taught Me About Beauty, Booty, and Being a Boss.”
Banks also attended Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management program. She completed the nine-week executive education program in 2012. Contrary to a misconception that has occasionally followed her career, the program is not an MBA or other Harvard degree; it is an executive education certificate designed for established business owners and executives.
“America’s Next Top Model” Legacy and Netflix Lawsuit
Years after “America’s Next Top Model” ended, clips from the series found a new audience online, and some of its more extreme challenges and judging moments received renewed criticism. Banks acknowledged that the show had made choices she would approach differently, while also defending its efforts to broaden definitions of beauty and give opportunities to models from backgrounds that were often underrepresented in fashion.
In February 2026, Netflix released the three-part documentary series “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.” Banks participated in an extensive interview for the project alongside former judges, staff members, and contestants. Four months later, Banks sued Netflix, directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan, and other parties involved with the documentary for defamation. Banks alleged that producers reduced a roughly three-and-a-half-hour interview to about 16 minutes and selectively edited her responses to create a false impression regarding her knowledge of an alleged sexual assault involving a former contestant. Netflix denied that the documentary was defamatory and filed a motion in August 2026 seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed. The matter is reported here as allegations and denials only, with no decision stated.
Personal Life
During the 2010s, Banks was in a long-term relationship with Norwegian photographer Erik Asla. In January 2016, they welcomed their son, York Banks Asla, via gestational surrogate. Banks and Asla separated in 2017. Banks later began a relationship with Canadian businessman Louis Bélanger-Martin. She eventually relocated to Sydney, Australia, with her son and Bélanger-Martin as she expanded SMiZE & DREAM there.
Net worth figures are estimates only, based on public sources.
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