Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Kayleigh Donaldson | Celebrity | October 9, 2025
Tyra Banks is certainly one of a kind. The model-turned-tyrant of reality TV still walks the runway now and then but has largely dedicated herself to some of the oddest side hustles in celebrity branding. Remember her YA book Modelland? I’ll forever be haunted by it. She then turned that into an event that she called a theme park, but was more like a pop-up with lash extensions. She had a beauty brand that was a full-on MLM scam, a hilariously bad music career, and is now a recurring panelist on Hollywood Squares.
Her biggest focus, however, has been Smize & Dream (SMiZe Cream), a boutique ice cream brand that she founded in 2020. An interesting career shift for someone who spent a decent portion of America’s Next Top Model engaging in casual fat-shaming, but hey, we all change, right? Smize & Dream has opened pop-up stores across L.A., Dubai, and Sydney. The flavours actually sound pretty good. Her latest product, however, is just confusing.
Did you ever have an ice cream and think, ‘Wow, I wish this was hot’? Sure you have. And no, it’s not a hot chocolate. It’s not just melting down your ice cream in the microwave. This is hot ice cream! Tyra took to social media to explain her genius idea. ‘I’m not talking about a latte. I’m not talking about hot chocolate that has flavors.’ Hot Mama will be flavoured with toasted pecans, caramel butter, and whipped cream. I mean, it sounds good, but I think this is just a fancy hot chocolate, right?
The internet is suitably confused. ‘i’ve been microwaving my ice cream for years,’ said one Instagram comment. ‘Tyra what the hell are you talking about?’ said another. ‘She’s just making up words’, said more than one person. That is kind of her thing, though. ANTM was just an extended translation session from Tyra-ish to English. Smize, anyone? Pot ledom? I’m sure ‘hot ice cream’ is easier to trademark than ‘it’s just a fancy milkshake hot chocolate hybrid.’ Wait a few months and we’ll probably see people obsessing over these things as much as Crumbl cookies. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a tub of Ben & Jerry’s and a microwave I need to introduce to one another.
