DOING IT ALL

The golden touch! Model turned entrepreneur Tyra Banks talks to Us about branching out and life at home with her son, York

- JAIME HARKIN

Tyra Banks has a confession to make. "I am just starting Ted Lasso," the multihyphenate star says of the smash hit series, which debuted its third season in mid-March. "I'm looking forward to not getting off the couch for days and taking it all in." 

If anyone deserves a bit of downtime, it's Banks. The busy mom of 7-year-old York (dad is Banks' ex, Erik Asla) recently revealed she's leaving Dancing With the Stars after three years of hosting to focus on her entrepreneurial enterprises, which include the ice cream line she launched in 2021, Smize & Dream, and multiple TV projects with her Bankable Productions company. "I love breaking new ground," Banks, 49, tells Us. "I also love breaking down doors so others can come through more easily than I did." Adds a source close to the star: "Tyra is an innovator and a visionary. Creating things from scratch is her superpower."

THE GO-GETTER

Banks has spent her more than 30 year of career reinventing herself. In the early 2000s, the former Victoria's Secret Angel pivoted away from the runway and created America's Next Top Model, which ran for an impressive 24 seasons. Over the next two decades, she continued to branch out with her Emmy Award-winning talk show, a bestselling young adult novel, and acting roles. "I love doing what others aren't thinking about," notes Banks. "That's how I judge success." 

In 2012, Banks went back to school and graduated from Harvard Business School's Owner/President Management (OPM) Program. "I am very aware that I don't know it all," she says. The HBS alum - who taught branding at the Stanford Graduate School of Business for three years and calls it "the thing I may be most proud of with my work" - is giving the commencement address to HBS graduates in May, and is returning to the school this year for a refresher course. Adds Banks, "I can't and won't stop learning."