Tyra Banks is one of the most influential supermodels of her generation. Rising to fame in the 1990s, she became a runway staple in Paris and New York, landed major magazine covers and broke barriers as one of the first Black models to achieve global supermodel status. She famously served as a Victoria’s Secret Angel from the late ’90s into the early 2000s, solidifying her place in fashion history.
Tyra also built a parallel acting career, appearing in films like Higher Learning, Life-Size and Coyote Ugly. But her biggest cultural impact came in 2003 when she created and began hosting America’s Next Top Model. She led the show for 22 cycles and helped turn it into a global franchise. Around the same time, she launched The Tyra Banks Show, which won two Daytime Emmy Awards during its run. In later years, Tyra expanded her hosting résumé with stints on America’s Got Talent and Dancing with the Stars, which she hosted beginning in 2020.
Most recently, Tyra has been back in headlines amid renewed conversations about America’s Next Top Model, including a documentary revisiting the show’s legacy and controversy, as well as discussions about a potential revival of the franchise. Beyond television, she continues to focus on business ventures and branding, maintaining her status as a model-turned-mogul.
See more photos of Tyra Banks through the years in our gallery now.
