![Tyra Banks Breaks Her Silence on "ANTM" Controversies and Says She Went Too Far [Video]](https://balleralert.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Screen-Shot-2019-02-07-at-115252-AM.webp "Tyra Banks Breaks Her Silence on \"ANTM\" Controversies and Says She Went Too Far [Video] - Baller Alert")
Tyra Banks is officially trading in her high-fashion heels for an ice cream scoop, but the transition is getting a little messy.
During a recent interview on The Jermaine Plane Podcast the ANTM icon made it clear that when she looks back on her life, she doesn’t want to be defined by her runway walk, but she wants her SMiZE & DREAM brand to be her lasting footprint.
Tyra got candid about the pivot, comparing her legendary modeling career to that of a retired athlete. According to her, the runway has an expiration date, but her “Hot Ice Cream” empire is built to last.
“The legacy, the real legacy, I want it to be ice cream. I really do,” Tyra told the host. “With modeling, it’s like an athlete—it’s over. The ice cream, I want that to live forever… I want to create a legacy that even when I’m gone, it means something. That I become a myth.”
For Tyra, the brand is a heartfelt tribute to her mother, Carolyn London, inspired by their Friday night ice cream runs during her childhood. She even broke down the symbolism of the “hidden truffle” at the bottom of every pint, calling it the “Smize Surprize” that represents the “dream to dig deep” until you finally taste success.
However, that success is currently facing a major brain freeze in court. A D.C. landlord has hit Tyra and her partners with a $2.8 million lawsuit, alleging they ghosted a 10-year lease for a flagship shop to focus on their expansion in Australia instead.
Tyra’s legal team has already moved to dismiss the case, calling it “extortion” and citing serious building issues.
Hopefully, her ice cream empire doesn’t melt under the weight of this pricey legal battle.
