Tyra ‘we were all rooting for you’ Banks has once again returned to her jarring roots, this time in a hot ice cream business that she’s named Hot Mama.
Tyra Banks’ career has been nothing short of unique. Hot off the back of her modelling career, which famously saw her come to blows with Naomi Campbell, she did everything from TV and movies to launching her own makeup line. Of course, a lot of that was born from the success of America’s Next Top Model, and while we collectively don’t look back favourably on the controversial reality TV show, there’s no denying that it was iconic.
Back in 2020, Tyra launched Smize & Dream, a boutique ice cream brand that opened locations in Los Angeles, Dubai, Washington, and Sydney. The flavours, while yummy, are fairly standard, so hoping to shake up the ice cream industry, Tyra Banks has just launched contradiction in confectionery form: Hot ice cream.
Right, so what is Tyra Banks’ hot ice cream?
@smizeanddream The weather isn’t the only thing warming up in Sydney
We’re bringing you the world’s first HOT ice cream. Not a latte. Not hot chocolate. But hot ice cream, transformed into a warm, pourable, sip-friendly dessert. After countless rounds of taste tests by Tyra herself, we’ve nailed the texture, mouthfeel and a new way to experience ice cream. We call it HOT MAMA
Because all our mamas are hustlers, and they deserve to indulge in a little bit of hotness. Can you handle the heat? Our first flavour drops tomorrow, and will only be available for a week at our flagship. #SMiZEandDREAM
Announcing the hot ice cream venture in an unhinged TikTok this week, Tyra Banks admitted to losing huge amounts of sleep during the one year it took to develop the idea.
She said: “I feel like I’m going crazy. I don’t sleep, because these ideas just keep coming in my head, waking me up. And bam! This one came to me… hot ice cream. Silky ice cream that you can drink. I’m not talking about a latte, or hot chocolate. I’m talking about hot ice cream. Innovation that took me over a year to get right.”
Feel more educated on hot ice cream now? Yeah, me neither.
As per the Oxford Dictionary, ice cream is: “A soft, sweet frozen food made with milk and cream and typically flavoured with vanilla, fruit, or other ingredients.”
But, according to Tyra, the hot ice cream creations are a cup of warm liquid ice cream, topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. Her favourite flavour is Fairy Dough, inspired by fairy bread from Australia. Considering we are fast approaching Sydney’s summer period, the hot, sweet treat makes for an even stranger announcement.
Credit: Tyra Banks
People ripped her to shreds in the comments
I’ve watched just about everything Smize & Dream have posted on hot ice cream, and I still don’t understand Tyra Banks’ vision. How is it essentially melted ice cream and NOT hot chocolate or a super sugary latte? My head just keeps going in circles, and now like Tyra, I’m also going crazy – and I’m not the only one.
“Does the nursing staff know you have your phone?” one person wrote, as another said, “This feels like a manic episode with funding.”
Someone else added: “The concept of trusting a model from the 2000s to spearhead a food product.”
“I feel like I’m going crazy. Tyra Banks trying to sell us hot milkshakes from Australia was not on my 2025 bingo card. What is happening???” another questioned.
And after all that – I. Still. Don’t. Get. It.
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Featured image credit: Tyra Banks/TikTok
