From the moment Tyra Banks stepped on stage at the Sydney Opera House in a yellow wig and Santa hat—yelling about Santa Claus stealing her milk-and-cookie idea—the internet started buzzing. Had the former Victoria’s Secret model and TV personality lost it? And more importantly, had she landed on Santa’s naughty list?
Banks knows you’ve been asking—and she’s thrilled.
Tyra Banks was spotted in Sydney, Australia ranting about Santa Claus on stage with drag queens while promoting her SMiZE & Dream ice cream brand.
pic.twitter.com/1ZJAHlZcNE— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) December 8, 2025
The viral moment came as Banks was spotted in Sydney ranting about Santa Claus on stage alongside drag queens while promoting her SMiZE & DREAM ice cream brand.
“If the person you saw had bright yellow hair and a cute Southern accent, then yes, honey, that was Santa SMiZE,” Banks tells EBONY. “She’s from the South Pole, after all.”
Banks says the moment was intentionally delivered without explanation. “I absolutely threw her into the world without explaining anything. People were like, ‘Oh my God, has Tyra lost her mind?’ But honestly? That was the point.”
She explains that winter is traditionally the hardest season for ice cream. “Sales drop everywhere in the world the moment the temperature dips. I kept asking myself, besides inventing Hot Ice Cream, how do I keep ice cream alive in people’s minds and hearts during the coldest season?”
Her answer was storytelling. “What if I told a winter ice cream story? What if I brought in a character who could carry that message with humor and a little chaos?”
Banks, who teaches marketing classes at universities, says she encourages her students to embrace risk. “The lesson I give my students is: different is better than better. You have to create the moment, take the risk, let people be confused, and then reveal the bigger plan. You gotta break through the noisy clutter of the internet.”
She adds, “This is in-real-life storytelling and world-building—what I was hell-bent on studying before modeling took off, and what I finally get to do now.”
“Am I on Santa Claus’ naughty list? Heck yesss,” she laughs. “And honestly, I love it. Because this universe I’m building—the characters, the worlds, the storytelling—it’s the start of a whole new chapter for me.”
Why Ice Cream Matters to Banks
“Ice cream is woven into the story of my family, my childhood, and my dreams,” Banks says.
When her parents divorced, her mother worked multiple jobs to rebuild their life. “Friday nights were sacred,” Banks recalls. “She’d drive us to the Häagen-Dazs on Hollywood Boulevard. I’d get coffee ice cream, she’d get chocolate, and we’d sit in the car and talk.”
Those moments stayed with her. “They were joy in the middle of hustle.”
That emotional connection carried through her life—from modeling in Paris, where she mapped every Häagen-Dazs location in her diary, to the creation of SMiZE & DREAM.
“To me, ice cream isn’t just dessert,” she says. “It’s memory. It’s resilience. It’s comfort. It’s joy. It’s my mama.”
On Hot Ice Cream
Banks admits Hot Ice Cream didn’t come together immediately. “The first batch? Whew. It was not giving.”
But once perfected, she says the goal was never familiarity. “I’m trying to take your mouth on a journey. I don’t want to give people what they’re used to. I want every scoop to dance.”
The flavor that sealed it for her was Santa SMiZE’s Cookies—brown butter chocolate chip cookie Hot Ice Cream inspired by milk-and-cookies nostalgia. “When we finally got it right, I said, ‘Oh yeah. This is it.’”
The Holidays—and What’s Next
This holiday season looks different for Banks. “Hot Ice Cream went viral in a way I never saw coming,” she says, noting collaborations with Michelin-star chefs and bakeries.
She’s also spending late nights building out the Santa SMiZE universe. “Her character bible. Her world. Where she goes in 2026 and beyond.” Still, some traditions remain. “I’m putting up a Christmas tree. No matter what.”
And the real celebration? “That’s with my son and my mama. Even if it’s just the three of us in pajamas, passing around a pint of ice cream—that’s what fills my heart.”
“People know my work in fashion and TV,” Banks says. “But this? This is me stepping fully into the storyteller I’ve always been.”
Now the only question left for her is, “Who do you think should play Santa SMiZE?”