by Chelsea StewartBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffI'm Chelsea, the Weekend Editor at BuzzFeed, where I cover everything from pop culture and politics to TV and celebrity news. Tyra Banks is a pioneering supermodel who broke barriers by becoming the first Black woman to grace the cover of GQ magazine and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. Beyond that, she's a television icon - but her career hasn't been without awkward or controversial moments, even outside of America's Next Top Model. Don Arnold / Getty Images Here are seven times Tyra's antics sparked confusion, amusement, or criticism. 1. When she asked Robert Pattinson to bite her. Taylor Hill / Getty Images On a 2008 episode of The Tyra Banks Show, Tyra asked the Twilight star to bite her, insisting she was "really serious." Afterward, she exclaimed, "Oh my God, I got a hickey from Robert! That was no joke. That felt good, too!" Shannon Finney / Getty Images Watch the moment here: View this video on YouTube The Tyra Banks Show / Via youtube.com 2. When Tyra faked having rabies. Manny Carabel / Getty Images In another episode of her show, Tyra started by telling the audience she wasn't feeling great. "I'm not 100% today," she said. "I'm not feeling great." She went on to claim that she had been bitten by a dog while jogging with friends in her neighborhood. "He bit me like right here," Tyra said, tapping her upper thigh. "So it's a little weird right now. I had to get rushed to the hospital...and then they tested me and the dog had rabies and [I] had to get a shot." Jason Mendez / Getty Images After reassuring the audience that she felt "okay" enough to film, Tyra paused to take a sip of water. Shortly after sitting down with a guest, she began foaming at the mouth, fell out of her chair, and started barking at audience members. When people finally started to laugh, Tyra yelled, "We're pranking you today! Start the show. Tyra prank!" Amanda Edwards / Getty Images Watch the moment here: View this video on YouTube The Tyra Banks Show / Via youtube.com 3. When she had a burping competition with Kelly Rowland. Art Directors Guild / Getty Images On a lighter note, Kelly and Tyra had a soda-fueled burp-off on a 2006 episode of her show. Watch it here. View this video on YouTube youtube.com 4. She also did an awkward pun-filled interview with Kelly's Destiny's Child bandmate Beyoncé: View this video on YouTube The Tyra Banks Show / Via youtube.com Tyra insists Beyoncé "loved" it, but at times, the singer's face appeared less than enthusiastic. James Devaney / Getty Images Watch it here. View this video on YouTube The Tyra Banks Show / Via youtube.com 5. When she wore a "fat suit" to experience life as a 350-pound woman. Hanna Lassen / Getty Images According to ABC News, Tyra wore the suit on a 2005 episode of her show to see how heavier women are treated in society. She took it out shopping, rode the bus, and went on three blind dates, one of whom she called "outright rude and hurtful." Tyra said she hoped the experience would curb the kind of "rudeness," "ugliness," and "nastiness" she endured while in the suit. Emma Mcintyre / Getty Images While the episode no longer appears to be online, you can read more details about it here. 6. When she flubbed the results on an episode of Dancing With the Stars. Eric Mccandless / Getty Images While hosting the show in 2020, Tyra mistakenly announced that cheerleading coach Monica Aldama and her dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy were safe from elimination. In reality, they were up for elimination. Tyra quickly corrected the error, blamed the control room, and called Monica and Val back to the stage to face possible elimination. Eric Mccandless / Getty Images She later tweeted, "Wowzers. Live TV. Wrong name on cards. So challenging to deal with moments like these. But we power through." According to CNN, some viewers were so mad by the mistake that they called for Tyra to be fired from the show. Gary Gershoff / Getty Images Watch the moment here. 7. Lastly, when she was accused of embellishing her credentials for Harvard Business School. Steve Granitz / Getty Images In 2012, Tyra took to Twitter to reveal she graduated from Harvard Business School. "On stage at my Harvard Business School graduation! Lil blurry but SUCH an exciting moment 4 me & wanted 2 share w/u! [soc]," she said over a photo. Taylor Hill / Getty Images However, Jezebel later reported that she hadn't earned a traditional degree. Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images "Banks did attend classes on the Harvard Business campus, but they were part of an Owner/President Management extension program and not part of the school's top-ranked Masters in Business Administration (M.B.A.)," HuffPost reported. After completing the three three-week units, students receive a "Certificate of Completion" and may call themselves "alumni of O.P.M." Leon Bennett / Getty Images It doesn't appear that Tyra ever commented on the reports. Have any other moments to share? Drop them in the comments
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Serious 7 Awkward, Weird, Or Uncomfortable Tyra Banks Moments Outside Of "America's Next Top Model"
February 22, 2026
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