Smize! From Breaking Barriers to Hosting the Hottest Shows, Here's Your Guide to Tyra Banks

Tyra Banks returned to television in 2020, taking the reins as the new host of Dancing With the Stars. But this is far from her first time in the spotlight, as she's had a career spanning more than two decades that includes modeling, acting and even music.

Here's everything you need to know about Banks, the Dancing With the Stars host who's shaking things up in her second season.

Who is Tyra Banks?

Tyra Banks is a television personality and model. But her experience expands way beyond those two roles. The well-known creator and original host of the long-running VH1 reality series America's Next Top Model has leveraging her way into hosting, producing, writing, singing and much more. She also hosted America's Got Talent and the daytime show The Tyra Banks Show, earning two Emmys in the process!

How old is Tyra Banks?

Tyra Banks was born on Dec. 4, 1973, making her 49.

How tall is Tyra Banks?

Tyra Banks' height is 5 feet, 10 inches.

Where does Tyra Banks live?

Tyra Banks lives in southern California, where she was born and raised. The past few years, she has ventured into real estate, buying and repurposing various houses in Los Angeles. For a while, she also had a posh condo in New York City.

Related: See Inside Tyra Banks' Luxurious Manhattan Condo

What is Tyra Banks' net worth?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Tyra Banks has an estimated net worth of $90 million as of 2023.

Who is Tyra Banks dating?

Tyra Banks has been dating Canadian businessman Louis Bélanger-Martin, 47, since 2018. He is known for being a pioneer in the in-flight entertainment industry. They were seen together in January 2020 at the premiere of Bad Boys for Life and stepped out June 2021 for breakfast in Malibu with her son, York. It's rumored that they're currently sharing a home in Magog, Quebec.

Is Tyra Banks married?

There have been no formal announcements of Tyra getting hitched. However, after paparazzi spotted her wearing what appeared to be a diamond ring on her left hand in August 2020, many speculated that she had tied the knot with Bélanger-Martin. Banks shot down those rumors on The Tamron Hall Show saying the ring was "shaped like a crab ... and it's an opal, not a diamond. It is not a crab opal engagement ring. It is just a ring."

Who is Tyra Banks' husband?

If sources close to her are to be believed, Tyra has yet to walk down the aisle. However, if she and boyfriend Louis Bélanger-Martin are able to survive quarantine, don't be surprised if marriage is on the table for the two!

Related: Tyra Banks Says She ‘Doesn’t Care About Fashion’

Did Will Smith and Tyra Banks date?

Tyra made her TV debut on the Will Smith-starring show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, starring in a guest role in 1993. It's rumored that the two dated for close to a year, breaking up in 1994. Despite the split, they remain friendly to this day.

Who is Tyra Banks' son?

Tyra has a son York Banks Asla, who she co-parents with Norweigan photographer and ex-boyfriend Erik Asla. She always wanted kids, but struggled for several years in trying to conceive, even trying in vitro fertilization. York finally came into the world via surrogate.

How old is Tyra Banks' son?

York Banks Asla was born in January 2016, making him 7 years old. Tyra is never shy about her son, telling People that he speaks three languages: English, Spanish and Norwegian!

How did Tyra Banks become famous?

Tyra rose to fame as a supermodel in the 1990s. She traveled the world doing various fashion shows and shoots. She also was a trailblazer as one of the few Black supermodels, becoming the first African American woman on the covers of both GQ magazine and the Victoria's Secret catalog. Tyra was also the first Black woman to appear on the famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

How did Tyra Banks lose weight?

Coming from the world of modeling, weight has always been top of mind for Tyra. After an ankle injury in 2018, she lost 30 pounds, when a doctor told her a new nutrition plan would help alleviate the pain from her injury. "I used to feel like my body was not mine," she said at the time. "I've been too thin or too big. And I used to feel like I was betraying people if I lost weight."

Why did Tyra Banks leave America's Next Top Model?

Tyra Banks was responsible for creating the modeling reality show America's Next Top Model in 2003. She served as executive producer and host for the first 23 seasons (known as "cycles"), before choosing to leave the show when it moved from The CW to VH1. However, after her absence prompted backlash from fans, Tyra chose to step back into her role as host for season 24 in 2018.

Where is Tyra Banks from?

Tyra Banks was born in Inglewood, California. Her mother, Carolyn London (now London-Johnson), is a medical photographer, and her father, Donald Banks, is a computer consultant. She also has a brother, Devin, who is five years older.

What movies has Tyra Banks been in?

Tyra Banks' big-screen debut came in 1994 in the drama Higher Learning. Her silver screen work that she's most well-known for, though, is playing a doll brought to life in the 2000 Disney film Life-Size, which also starred Lindsay Lohan. She's also appeared in Love & Basketball, Coyote Ugly and Halloween: Resurrection.

What TV shows has Tyra Banks been in?

Tyra Banks started her TV career in a seven-episode guest stint on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She has acted in guest roles in a number of other shows, including Black-ish, MADtv, Gossip Girl and Glee. She has also appeared as a guest judge on several worldwide Top Model shows.

How long did Tyra Banks host Dancing With the Stars?

Though Tyra Banks served three seasons as host of DWTS. We're not sure when her contract ends but the former supermodel announced on March 17, 2023 that is quitting the show. She technically held the role from July 2020 when ABC announced that longtime host Tom Bergeron, along with co-host Erin Andrews, would be leaving the show. Mere days later, the network revealed that Tyra would be making her way to the network, serving as the sole host.

Why did Tyra Banks leave America's Got Talent?

Dancing With the Stars isn't Tyra's first time as a fill-in host. In 2017, after disputes between comedian Nick Cannon and NBC, the network let go the host of America's Got Talent. In his place they hired Tyra, who helmed the talent competition for seasons 12 and 13. Fans were stunned to find out that she would not be returning for the next season or the spin-off AGT: The Champions. In interviews since, though, it's come out that Tyra was inundated with producing and acting opportunities, and chose to leave the show so she could spend more time focusing on her career outside of AGT.

Why did Tyra Banks quit Dancing with the Stars?

In a surprise announcement on March 17, 2023, former supermodel Tyra Banks announced she would be quitting the Disney Plus reality series to spend more time behind the camera, not in front of it.

"I think my heart, my soul is into my business, it's also into producing new TV," she told TMZ. "I really, really want to focus on my business and you can't do that hosting a show, so you'll see me creating things, not just hosting."

That decision could also be influenced by the overwhelmingly negative response to her hosting performance, including some highly publicized gaffes during her tenure.

There's also been shakeups behind the scenes at Disney/ABC since the series fired longtime hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews.

Executive Producer Andrew Llinares who ushered in the beginning of changes in season 26 and brought in Tyra as host in 2020 was fired in 2022.

Next, Tyra Banks Shares Some of the Changes She Wants to Make for DWTS Season 30