During a live broadcast of TODAY with Jenna & Friends on Monday, Tyra Banks, 51, made an unconventional personal disclosure that elicited visible discomfort from co-host Jenna Bush Hager and members of the studio audience. The former supermodel and television presenter revealed that she routinely consumes food crumbs left in her bed at her residence in Sydney, Australia.
Banks stated that this habit extends to her mother, Carolyn London, and her nine-year-old son, York Banks Asla, who also partake in eating snacks such as ice cream and popcorn in bed—occasionally consuming remnants several days later.
Clarifying her remarks, Banks added: “A few days if it’s not super perishable,” referencing popcorn in particular, which she likened to long-lasting “astronaut food,” saying: “You just pick it up. I’m not joking.”
During Monday’s live broadcast of TODAY with Jenna & Friends, Tyra Banks prompted a visibly shocked reaction from co-host Jenna Bush Hager and the studio audience after candidly admitting to consuming food crumbs left in her bed—sometimes days later—provided she is certain they originated from her.
In response to Hager’s incredulous question, “A week later you would go and eat that?”, Banks replied affirmatively: “Yeah, if I knew it was mine in my bed, yeah.”
The two-time Daytime Emmy Award winner further elaborated that she follows the same practice on the floor of her home, citing a strict “no shoe” policy designed to maintain cleanliness and deter pest infestation: “I have a no shoe rule in my home so I can eat off my floor,” she said. “No, but I’m serious, I do that. But then I see my son doing it and I’m like, ‘Don’t do that!’ And he’s like, ‘Mama, you do it!’”
The reaction to Banks’ statements was swift across social media platforms. On the official Jenna & Friends Instagram account, users expressed dismay. One commenter, @randirobson, posted a nauseated emoji and wrote, “Disgusting! Would never eat in bed and then eat the crumbs later.” Another, @madijayne, commented, “I eat in bed all the time. But I’m not leaving popcorn in it for a few days.” User @desalvoshirley added, “No way do I want food in my bed! Yikes!”
Similarly, reactions on X (formerly Twitter) reflected widespread revulsion. User @mozingo_84 posted a cringing meme, while @Bintmetax remarked, “Wow, Tyra eating crumbs off the floor is wild. Definitely not a pest control hack I’d try!” Another user, @blackgypsy71, responded with a vomit emoji and the comment, “Nasty.”
Despite the backlash, Banks—founder of SMiZE & DREAM—continues her guest-hosting duties on the program for the remainder of the week.
Tyra Banks is scheduled to appear as a guest star on the August 13th episode of HGTV’s home renovation series Celebrity IOU, hosted by Property Brothers co-stars Drew and Jonathan Scott.
Additionally, in May of the previous year, Entertainment Weekly reported that Banks participated in an on-camera interview for an upcoming Netflix docuseries chronicling the development and cultural impact of America’s Next Top Model, the long-running reality competition series which concluded in 2018 after 18 seasons.
While he has not publicly acknowledged it, RuPaul Charles is widely regarded as having drawn structural inspiration for his Emmy Award-winning series RuPaul’s Drag Race from Banks’ pioneering work in reality television, particularly the format established by America’s Next Top Model.
Banks notably made history in 1996 by becoming the first African-American model to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue. She subsequently returned for additional cover features in 1997, 2019, and most recently, 2024.#newsafro_
