What Is Tyra Banks' Net Worth?
Tyra Banks is an American media personality, actress, singer, model, and businesswoman who has a net worth of $90 million. Tyra Banks got her start as a fashion model but made her fortune hosting and producing television shows.
Beginning her journey in the world of fashion, Tyra became one of the foremost supermodels of the '90s, walking for renowned designers and becoming a staple on runways from Paris to New York. Her groundbreaking accomplishments included becoming the first African-American woman to grace the covers of "GQ" and the "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue."
As she ascended the ranks of the fashion industry, Tyra transitioned smoothly into television and film. She starred in notable projects such as the movie "Higher Learning" and took on guest roles in popular TV series. However, her most significant television contribution would come in the form of "America's Next Top Model" ("ANTM"). As the creator, producer, and host of "ANTM," Banks provided an insider's view of the modeling industry to viewers worldwide, with the show becoming a cultural phenomenon.
Beyond "ANTM," Tyra further cemented her status as a television mainstay by hosting her own talk show, "The Tyra Banks Show," which addressed contemporary social issues and won two Daytime Emmy Awards. Her entrepreneurial spirit didn't stop there. Banks went on to create "FABLife," a lifestyle talk show, and later delved into the business world with her beauty brand and other ventures.
Early Life
Tyra Banks was born Tyra Lynne Banks on December 4, 1973, in Inglewood, California. She began her modeling career while she was still in high school. Tyra was rejected by four modeling agencies before eventually signing a contract with L.A. Models. When she was 16 years old, she signed with Paris-based Elite Model Management, at which point she moved to Milan.
Her runway debut came two years later, during 1991 Paris Fashion Week. Banks booked a total of 25 shows during her very first runway season.
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Success
In 1993, Banks signed a contract with the American cosmetics company CoverGirl. A few years later, she returned to America to pursue commercial modeling further.
Tyra is one of only a few black models to attain "supermodel" status. Over the years, she has posed for the covers of "Elle," "Harper's Bazaar," Spanish "Vogue," "Cosmopolitan," and more. She has walked in fashion shows for Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Valentino, Fendi, Isaac Mizrahi, and Giorgio Armani, among many others. She has appeared in advertising campaigns for Dolce & Gabbana, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Victoria's Secret, Pepsi, Nike, and plenty more.
Banks became the first African-American model to appear on the covers of "Sports Illustrated's" swimsuit issue and "GQ" magazine—the issues debuted in 1997 and 1996, respectively.
Banks's success as a model gave her the opportunity to branch out and led to many TV appearances. Her first television credit came when she played Will Smith's old friend Jackie Ames on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"—she made a total of seven appearances on the show.
Her film debut came in 1994 when she co-starred in John Singleton's drama "Higher Learning." In 2000, Tyra co-starred alongside Lindsay Lohan in Disney's "Life-Size" as a doll named Eve who came to life. (And eight years later, Banks appeared in the film's sequel, "Life-Size 2.") She has also starred in "Love Stinks" (1999), "Love & Basketball" (2000), "Coyote Ugly" (2000), and "Hannah Montana: The Movie" (2009).
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In 2004, Banks received a non-degree certificate from Harvard Business School in order to start her cosmetics company, Tyra Beauty. Her e-commerce cosmetics website, tyra.com, launched in 2015.
Banks also formed Ty Ty Baby Productions (now operating as Bankable Productions). The production company was responsible for producing both the reality series "America's Next Top Model," which first aired in 2003, and her daytime talk show "The Tyra Banks Show" (2005–2010). To date, Banks has hosted 23 of "America's Next Top Model's" 24 seasons.
Tyra won two Daytime Emmy Awards, in 2008 and 2009, for Outstanding Talk Show/Informative for "The Tyra Banks Show." At the time, she was reportedly earning about $18 million a year as the host and through her other endeavors.
Banks has been repeatedly ranked among the world's most influential people by "Time" magazine. She is one of four African-Americans and seven women to receive this consistent recognition.
She also hosted two seasons of the reality television series "America's Got Talent" from 2017 to 2018. Additionally, Banks has appeared, either as a consultant or judge, on "Mexico's Next Top Model," "Vietnam's Next Top Model," "Asia's Next Top Model," "Korea's Next Top Model," "Australia's Next Top Model," and "The New Celebrity Apprentice." Outside of those, she has more recently appeared in episodes of "Celebrity Watch Party," "Dancing with the Stars," "Punk'd," "Insecure," and "I Love That for You." After signing a deal with ABC Signature to be the new host of "Dancing with the Stars," Banks decided to leave the show after three seasons.
Her charitable organization, the Tyra Banks TZONE, focuses on leadership and the development of life skills. She also established the Tyra Banks Scholarship to provide African-American girls the opportunity to attend Immaculate Heart High School, her alma mater.
Banks accepted a position as a guest lecturer at Stanford University on personal branding in August 2016.
In 2019, after coming out of modeling retirement to pose for one of the "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit edition covers, Tyra announced to "Entertainment Tonight" that she was changing her modeling name to "BanX."
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Personal Life
During the 2010s, Banks was in a relationship with Norwegian photographer Erik Asla, and in January 2016, they had a biological son—York Banks Asla—via surrogacy. The couple split in the fall of 2017.
Tyra has also shared that she avoids drinking alcohol and has never used recreational drugs.
Real estate
In 2004, Banks purchased a 5,740-square-foot residence in Beverly Hills for just over $3 million. She listed this property for sale in 2015 for $7.7 million and ended up selling the four-bedroom Spanish Colonial in 2016 for $6.33 million.
Tyra currently owns a 7,000-square-foot duplex in Manhattan that includes a salon, gym, and mirrored dressing room. She bought the Battery Park City duplex, which comprises four apartments, in 2009 for $10.13 million. She listed the apartment for rent in March 2015—asking $50,000 per month. Then, in the spring of 2017, Banks put the home on the market for $17.5 million; however, it has not been sold.
Most recently, Tyra has begun flipping houses in Los Angeles. In May 2018, she listed two homes in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood for sale. The first was a 6,135-square-foot residence that was listed for $9.25 million, and the second was a 3,700-square-foot home that was purchased for $4.25 million. She purchased the larger home only two years prior for $7.35 million, while she bought the smaller home for $3.25 million in 2014. She sold both properties within just a few months for $8.9 million and $4 million, respectively. Additionally, she unloaded an L.A. townhome for $1.47 million that same year.
In February 2018, Tyra paid $6.995 million for yet another Pacific Palisades home. She sold this home in December 2021 for $7.895 million. Here's a video tour of this home:
In June 2019, she snagged a single-story home for just under $3 million—her fifth purchase in the Pacific Palisades area in two years.
