Cynthia McFadden’s upcoming interview on ABC News “Nightline” with model turned talk show host Tyra Banks leaves no stone unturned. The Emmy award-winning host of the “Tyra Banks Show” talks about breaking into the modeling world, the struggles of being an African American model, and why she dislikes the red carpet. The spirited entrepreneur, also host of America’s Next Top Model, delves into the now infamous bathing suit picture, the potential for marriage and kids, and the difficulty of being a mogul.
Excepts from the Tyra Banks interview are below, courtesy of ABC News’ Nightline…
On Having Children:
CYNTHIA MCFADDEN: Are we going to see little Tyra’s?
TYRA BANKS: I think you will. I think you will. I don’t know when but sooner than later definitely. I have a lot of success and make a good living but after while you start going why? Why are you doing all this, especially because I’m not materialistic so it’s not like “ooh yeah I’m making all this let’s get the jet plane you know! I don’t have that so I need to be able to pass this down. I need to be able to share it with a family and go to “Toys R Us” and buy a lot of toys for my child- you know what I’m saying, like what is the point? Because right now my life…when I was a model it was all about me, like how many covers can I get, how many…me me me …I’m gonna break barriers, I’m gonna do this and then now in my career I’m so excited about discovering stars, making other people stars and creating shows and my talk show has hundreds of people whose livelihood, depends on me showing up every single day, so that excites me more and to me that goes more into having a child because it’s not really all about me, it’s about giving sustenance in life to other people.
On Being a Diva:
CM: How much of a diva are you?
TB: I wish I was more of a diva. I wish I was harder, I wish I didn’t care so much about being the nice girl all the time because a lot of the time people can take kindness for weakness, so I wish I had a little bit more “oomph” in me. When it comes to being in charge, being a boss, being an executive producer because you know a lot of the times they are probably like, “Oh it’s Tyra, she’s cool, she’s not gonna trip” so I could learn maybe from some people, and you know what? It’s not a diva…it’s about being a strong businesswoman and being a better leader I can learn to do that.
On Status:
CM: The New York Times famously called you America’s next top mogul. Do you feel like a mogul?
TB: No I don’t! I think I’m too young to be a mogul. I think I’m too young for that when I think about moguls I think like Donald Trump. He owns NYC practically, that’s a mogul I feel like…I’m a on my way to a lot more but mogul is a really serious thing. I think it’s a word that gets thrown around easily.
CM: There’s been a lot of talk about money and reports that you make upwards of 20 million dollars a year, are they in the ballpark?
TB: I don’t know, I always say it could be a hell of a lot less, and it could be a hell of a lot more. My mother told me don’t talk about your money.
CM: Money doesn’t buy happiness but it does buy some things…
TB: I love being able to go to a store let’s say…a store like Topshop or Zara or maybe even Macy’s depends on what department and not have to look at the price tag.
CM: Well you could go lots of places and not look at the price tag.
TB: Rodeo Drive and all that I’m looking at the price tag and gulping even with success and the, you know…
CM: So you’re not buying $10,000 pocketbooks?
TB: Don’t own one. And when I do, means I didn’t buy it.
CM: Really?
TB: Really.
CM: You don’t have a taste for that?
TB: No, I don’t like expensive things, I buy property, and that has a lot more zeros behind it than a $10,000 bag but to me I like things that appreciate! I don’t want to take something and the minute it leaves the shelf it depreciates!
CM: Sounds like a mogul to me!! A mogul in training here!
TB: I started buying a couple of designer clothes and I put it on and I’m like wow this looks really really good but then I just can’t help looking in a magazine for the splurge and the save….and I go but dang, I just paid all this but look at her.. she paid like 20 bucks ..that is still in me I don’t know what that is.. Some person told me I had like a poor man’s syndrome or something…I never was really poor.
CM: Do you have an extravagance though, is there something that you…
TB: Property, I like to buy property. And my accountant says that I’m like the best blackjack player in Vegas because I bet on the right stuff. I know when something is gonna appreciate. I just have a gift for that!
On Her Future:
CM: So much has gone right in your life, but the man thing has never quite gelled.
TB: Wouldn’t say it hasn’t gelled, I just, because I’m not married is that why?
CM: Maybe it’s because we don’t know!
TB: Exactly.
CM: You’ve been very private about all of it, why?
TB: Because, sharing your relationship does nothing except for share your relationship doesn’t help people, it doesn’t do anything it just creates gossip fodder.
CM: So you don’t look and say, oh well I’m 35, I’m not married. You’ve talked a lot about models trading in their pretty…for rich husbands. That certainly wasn’t your path, have you sort of gone the other way with a vengeance!
TB: I don’t have that OMG I gotta get married thing! If it happens it happens, but it’s never been like oh I need to do that! I don’t know, it’s a little difficult for me to understand actually when women really want to get married. I don’t understand it.
CM: Really?
TB: Not in today’s day and age. When my friends really want to get married I’m like OK I’m gonna help you find a husband, I go and I do it and I set them up on blind dates and all that but I don’t understand that. I think it’s because I’m a product of divorce, my parents divorced so I don’t understand that whole married thing when 70 percent of marriages fail and 50 percent of second marriages fail…so that forever and ever thing and people get divorced…i don’t know, I’m trying to figure it out.
CM: So would you have a baby without getting married?
TB: I don’t know! Not sure.
CM: Is the biological clock ticking?
TB: Child, 50 year olds are having babies now, I think I’m ok!!
“Nightline” is anchored by Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran, and Martin Bashir. James Goldston is the executive producer. “Nightline” airs at 11:35 p.m. (ET/PT) weeknights on the ABC Television Network.
