Literature never dies. That seems especially true for Tyra Banks. Earlier this year, her 2011 novel Modelland saw a social media resurgence, with fans jumping into its fantastical world: a rigorous, surreal boarding school where ordinary students train to become magical, elite models known as “Intoxibellas.”
The fight was on to get a copy. eBay became a battleground. Amazon currently prices a hardcover edition at $189.
In true Banks fashion, the supermodel-turned-entrepreneur decided to take matters into her own manicured hands. On November 3, she’ll release Modelland as an audiobook, performed by—who else?—Banks herself. She revealed a preview on TikTok, where she voices more than 50 characters in the nearly 19-hour production.
@tyrabanks So I recorded the MODELLAND audiobook. 19 hours of MODELLAND for your ears. And I performed over 50 different character voices. Here are 20 of them. Don’t worry. I’m fine. Anyway, the audiobook is available for pre-order. Link in bio.
The story follows Tookie De La Crème, an awkward 15-year-old with “mismatched eyes, untamable hair, and a large forehead.” Tookie and three other outcasts are invited to a surreal boarding school, where they train to become Intoxibellas. Their classes and tests include Catwalk Corridor and Thigh-High Boot Camp. Beauty is the society’s currency and economy, a whimsical metaphor that seems to draw on Banks’ own experience in the modeling world.
This marks Banks’ second time recording a voice-over for her literary work. She co-narrated the audiobook for her non-fiction book Perfect Is Boring: 10 Things My Crazy, Fierce Mama Taught Me About Beauty, Booty, and Being a Boss alongside her mother, Carolyn London.
The audiobook arrives during a busy, and sometimes contentious, year for Banks. In February, she appeared in Netflix’s three-part Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, which revisited the reality show’s history and controversies. Some viewers criticized her response to Cycle 2 contestant Shandi Sullivan, who said she had been blacked out during a sexual encounter filmed by the show’s production team and later viewed the encounter as an assault.
Four months later, Banks sued Netflix, the documentary’s directors, and production company EverWonder Studio. Her lawsuit alleges that producers edited her three-and-a-half-hour interview down to 16 minutes and used the footage to create a misleading narrative, including the impression that she knowingly allowed Sullivan to be sexually assaulted. Banks is seeking damages and an injunction related to the use of her image on the documentary’s soundtrack.
Banks also joined Project Runway’s 22nd season as a recurring judge, which premiered in July. Her on-air clashes with fellow judge Law Roach drew attention, including an episode five exchange that some viewers saw as part of a season leaning too heavily on judging-room drama and not enough on the designers’ work.
Modelland, the audiobook, is available on Amazon on November 3.