Tyra Banks is the subject of The New York Times Magazine's cover story. In the article, Tyra reveals the challenges she overcame to be a model, how everyone underestimated her when she wanted to be a producer and talk show host (no one's underestimating her now) and her relentless drive and ambition.
It was that desire for impact that persuaded Banks to pursue the talk show. "I want power," she said. "The power to make change. I have never been interested in being 'hot' or 'cool.' I'm not interested in walking down a bunch of red carpets, dating someone famous, being in a big movie. I've done those things, and it never felt right. But I do want power and not for financial reasons. When I realized that, I told my mama and contacted Telepictures about the talk show."
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Between her two shows, Banks is never not working. "She looks at 24 hours differently than most people," said Bradford Sisk, who was once her assistant and now, as a vice president of Bankable, oversees the productions of Top Model and the new show, Stylista. "Tyra doesn't sit still for a minute. Her brain is always going. If she’s not focusing on one project, she’s thinking up the next one."
Tyra is a force of nature. That's for sure. We love her.