Working mom life! Tyra Banks opened up about life with her 7-year-old son, York — and joked that even famous parents struggle to explain the concept of remote work.
“Working from home is a privilege and also a challenge,” the supermodel, 49, exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly. “Yes, Mommy is in pajamas and looks like she can play Legos, but she’s on a work call.”
The Modelland author went on to note that she does her best to stave off any disappointment by giving York plenty of attention when she’s off the clock. “I balance that by also coming home from meetings and jumping on the bed with my son in my business suit!” the California native quips.
The former America’s Next Top Model host shares York with ex-boyfriend Erik Asla, from whom she split in 2017. The duo welcomed their son via surrogate in January 2016.
Banks has mostly kept York out of the public eye, but she’s happy to reveal some of their favorite mother-son activities. “I love coloring with him,” the former Dancing With the Stars host tells Us. “It transports me back to my elementary school [days]. We color all over the pages adding detail and squiggles, and it brings both of us such joy. We also have lots of fun combining words together to create new ones — looks like he gets that from his mama!”
The Life Size actress is referring to her habit of coining portmanteaus as host of ANTM, which ran from 2003 to 2018. Smize, arguably her most famous term, is a combination of the words “smile” and “eyes,” and refers to a way of smiling with your eyes.
“There’s a secret smize. There’s a lot of smizes. But you know what? Guess who will not put ‘smize’ in the dictionary — Merriam-Webster,” Banks told NPR in September 2020. “We keep calling the Merriam-Webster people. We call them. We email them. We show them the cover of The Wall Street Journal. … And they’re just like, ‘Oh, you know, we’ve been — we’ve had our eye on ‘smize’ for a couple of years.’ And I’m like, ‘You know what? Now you’re just hating.'”
While the Black-ish alum waits for a response from Merriam-Webster, she’s happy to focus on raising York, who she says is her biggest personal accomplishment. “He’s the light of my life,” Banks gushes.
For more on how Banks balances work and motherhood, watch the video above and pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.
