DoctorOz: Tyra Banks' #1 Beauty Secret & Dancing With The Stars Secrets Revealed!

13 years, 13 seasons into The Dr. Oz Show. One thing I know for sure is you need superhuman talent at every level to make great TV. But my next guest isn't just the executive producer and superstar host of Dancing With the Stars. She's also a supermodel. And she's a super mom. And she's a super mogul. Please welcome back my super friend, Tyra Banks. How are you, Tyra? I am good. How are you? Good. Let me first catch up on family issues. So your son, York, he's five years old now. Life changes in just one year. When you last visited, we kidded a little about him. But what's he up to at age five? York is reading at a third grade level. And he's in kindergarten. So yeah, he is much better in school than I was. I was a nice, you know, average student. But he is a stratospheric. So I'm like catching up with him constantly. He's correcting me all the time. Loves science. And he's pretty special. A lot of energy. You got it from his mom, I'm sure. He's already showing lots of talent. You actually posted this video of him singing about his snack time. Look at this. It's so cute. Bacon and cheese and peppers. What? Bacon and cheese and peppers on lettuce. Oh, yeah. And a country south accent, too. I like that, baby. You got it all going on. A little southern. I love a lettuce wrap rap. What could be better than that? Is there a recording? Lettuce wrap wrap. We go back and forth. He likes his bread now. But he likes lettuce. And it's so funny. We live with my mom. And my mom is always like, she just spoils him. Dr. Oz, help me. She's like, oh, he wants a hot dog. Well, we're going to have Thai food. But he's having a hot dog. I'm like, mama, I want my child's palate to be the world, not just this country's palate. So we're fighting with that, Dr. Oz. What do I do? Well, I got news for you. As a grandfather, I know what your mom knows, which is she can always give York back. Exactly. I got to say, I love that you're spreading joy at snack time. I think as much as your mom will have influence, you'll have even more. And I love that you're teaching them about healthy eating. But I'll give you an example. That little lettuce wrap, and the reason I liked it, I talked about it on the show, is because lettuce is almost all water, right? 96%. So it's 12 calories converted to 310 calories with a sandwich wrap. That bread you mentioned, you may be tasting because of your mom. But I like the fact, also, it holds up well. So you can get creative. So either way, York's got the best of both worlds. Yeah, and he still loves bacon. That is his favorite thing in the world, is bacon. Because it reminds him of his grandmama. And we love some bacon up in this house. But it's like, you know, let's mix it up. I mean, I have an ice cream company. And we love ice cream. We're not eating a pint a night, you know. But it's knowing how to, like, you know, just moderation. Well, York's lucky to have you. I'm sure your mom's proud as well. You know, you were just featured in The Cut. It's a great journal. It's for an article they wrote on the pioneering black supermodels who helped change the fashion industry. And I got curious when I was looking at the article that you said you felt more accepted in France than the US at the beginning of your career. Why is that? Yeah, I've likened it to Josephine Baker. That Josephine Baker had to go to Paris to be accepted and to be, like, you know, this huge star. That would not have happened to me in the early 90s if I just stayed in America. So I was discovered, whisked off to Paris, and wasn't even used to being called beautiful walking down the street in this country. I remember, like, Caucasian men, white men, looking at me like this. Like, oh, I kind of can look at her, but I can't really look at her, you know. And then you go to Europe and they're like, Très Jolie, Très Belle, and on the covers of magazines and all kinds of runways. And then that acceptance from France then made my own country, the United States, say, oh, OK, now maybe we'll put on a magazine cover. And oh, maybe we'll put her on some runways. And oh, maybe we'll do this. But another country had to do that. And so I give kisses and love to France for seeing the beauty of Black women when America did not. How has fashion changed since you began your trailblazing career? Do you still sense that even to this day? Oh, my gosh. It is so different. You see Black models, Asian models, Latina models, you know, all different types of beautiful colors of this world as well as shapes. So before, we used to fight for just different races, different colors, different backgrounds, you know. And then when I started my own TV show, I fought for different body types. And now modeling agencies are representing short, tall, thick, thin, juicy, jiggly, tight, firm, like everything. And this is something that I have been talking about for decades. But I never thought that I would see it in my lifetime. But it is here. A lot of adjectives there. There's one place, though, I got to say, it's sort of iconic as someone who grew up loving Sports Illustrated. You know, the swimsuit edition was always unique. And you were the first Black woman to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. And this year, pretty cool, you interviewed Megan Thee Stallion in a hot tub about her being the first female rapper to ever be on SI's swimsuit cover. Bring us all up to date on that. What was that like, even just sitting there? Yes, well, you know, I love a first because it means you're opening the door for somebody else. So me being the first Black woman, I never dreamed about it. There was a young girl by the name of Danielle Harrington that saw me on the cover of Sports Illustrated. And so she dreamed about it. And then cut to 10 years later, she was on the cover years ago. Megan Thee Stallion, you know, first of all, just being asked to interview her, I was like, heck yeah. But then the day before, she was like, she wants to do it in a hot tub. And I was like, what? A hot tub? What, we got microphones and what? And I was so nervous. I was like, are we going to be twerking? I don't, I'm not a big twerker. Like, I was so nervous, but also game. You know, I used to host a show, you know, Dr. Oz. So I know, like, you know, you gotta just go. And I got in that damn hot tub with her. And the thing is, my, I was wearing a swimsuit, but it had long sleeves and kind of like sequins on it. And the whole world thinks that I am in the hot tub in a long gown or pants. But I just want to tell everybody that is a swimsuit. I ain't crazy. I'm glad you clarified. I thought that, by the way, when I saw it, I said, what is Tyra doing? And you mentioned your talk show. My daughter Daphne's first national exposure was on your talk show. So you were way ahead of the curve. Thank you for doing that. Yes, I remember that. So many years ago, I actually remember her face, like, long hair, side part, sad part. I remember her exactly, exactly. And that was her first. Well, you're kind of. It's OK, girl. Right, because you're ushering in new generations. I am curious. I mean, you mentioned the role you, that you, what you experienced, but the role you played, I don't think people appreciate it. What does it mean to you to be able to usher in someone like Megan, to allow her to have a dream of what she went through being on the cover? Yeah, you know, I always say that when you're first, you get the cuts, you get the scrapes, you get the bruises. You're going through that jungle, and you're like getting this, just, just, just pain and, and tribulation. And, but it's for other people to not have to feel that and to not have to go through that. And so when I see women like Megan and other young women that are doing the things that I did first to break down the door, I'm like, that's what it's about. You know, it was about being paid less. It was about just so many crazy things, not to be paid less for Sports Illustrated, by the way, they run very fair, but just in general in the, in the fashion industry. So I'm, I'm, I'm happy. I'm happy to be a pioneer because I do see that that door is, it's not all the way open, but it's hell of a lot more open than it was. Well, you're the first in many things, even outside of beauty. And I love that you're open. You're willing to talk about anything and you show your vulnerabilities. All right, so coming up, Tyra's number one beauty secret for all of you watching. Plus she reveals the truth behind a Dancing with the Stars controversy. I'm back with Dancing with the Stars host and executive producer, Tyra Banks. One of the many things I love about you is your willingness to talk about anything. I mean anything. And you show your vulnerability. So you shared these photos of yourself recently with no wig and no makeup on Instagram. And then you earned a ton of praise appropriately for women for revealing yourself. How freeing is it to be able to show off moments like this? You know, I love it. And I've been in this industry for a long time before there was even cell phones. I know that sounds crazy. Yeah, y'all, before cell phones. And there also was no social media back then. So we had to rely on the press to get our truth out. And then you would do an interview, not like this, Dr. Oswald, you hear me talking, but an interview and it's printed. And it's like, I didn't say that. What the hell is that? And so now to have social media and to have that freedom and to be able to be myself sometimes or to be able to be what Cindy Crawford calls the thing, which is this thing all dressed up, it's fun. But at the same time, it's also liberating. It can also be stressful too. All the emotions. So what's your advice to the many women watching right now who might get anxiety thinking about going to the grocery store with gray hair showing or with no makeup on and being seen in public? You know, we ain't got time to be getting all done up all the time. We ain't got time for that. You find yourself a wig and you throw that wig on or you find the hat, you get your go-to, I don't care outfit. And by that, what that means is it's just in the closet, it's I don't care, but it's kind of cute so that if you get caught out there with your former ex-boyfriend that was on the football team and you're looking crazy, at least you have on your I don't care outfit, which means I care a little bit. But at the same time, who gives a damn, especially right now when we're still kind of confined to our homes in a way. I mean, of course there's freedom, we're going out, there's vaccinations, but there's still the more safety in our houses, which means that we're actually more casual when we go out. I kind of don't care. The paparazzi get me looking crazy. I get embarrassed for a second and I'm like, oh, well, that's the real me. One place you look beautiful all the time is on Dancing with the Stars. The 30th season just began. It's Tyra's second season leading the show and she figured out a secret to making things extra successful last season and it has to do with her feet. Tyra, I've got a little demonstration here, but I want you to spill the secret. I want to hear your words. Okay, shall I tell you right now what the secret is? Yep, tell the secret. The secret is I wear sneakers underneath my big dresses. Is that what you're talking about? Yes, gasp. How is that possible? How'd you figure it out? Dr. Oz, the first couple of shows, it's not just a straight walkout. There are stairs that I have to go down. And so I didn't fall, but I felt like falling for a couple of times. I was like, you know what? Enough of that. I'm going to wear sneakers every now and then. Last season, if you stared at my feet, you saw some sneakers. So this year, we're going to bedazzle them. So you'll see a little flash of sparkle. Just no sneakers. Yeah, let me show you this. I made a little demonstration. I want everyone at home to appreciate this as well. I love as a doc that you're doing this because in traditional heels, right, you're actually standing on a thin pillar, which makes you naturally unstable, right? And because of this pillar, let me get rid of the shoe, you actually are putting a ton more pressure on your toes. It looks like that with little bones in there, right? So the ball of your foot is getting all the pressure as you're tiptoeing around. That causes pain, inflammation, you know, hammer toe, bum the onions, things you don't want to talk about, right? Now, that's not the ideal, but people do it and torture themselves. But if you're hosting a big time show, flats make sense because you have a nice wide surface, right? To stand on. You can walk downstairs. It makes it easier to balance. And this is the part I love as a doctor. You take the pressure off the toes. That means you can actually balance a lot of the pressure back towards the heels. And you can walk like this, like we're supposed to have walked without being aches and pains. Now, let me ask you a question about this. Did your performance change because you were comfortable in your shoes? Something that actually even bedazzled we probably won't see most of the time. Yes, my performance changed and it was better. When I am balancing in heels, I have to kind of grip my foot or else I'll just keep sliding through and have a very narrow foot on top of all the high heel craziness. So when I have on those flats, I feel grounded. I feel more relaxed. I feel more myself. So I think it makes a better host. I also notice, like I'm not very social. I don't like kind of going out and doing small talk. And so if I go to like a social gathering and I have on high heels, I just want to go home. I don't want to talk to anybody. I just want to say hi and get the hell out of there. I went to a Grammy's party many years ago and I wore flat sandals with this beautiful Chinese dress. And I stayed until the party was over and I didn't understand why. And then I realized it was my feet. They were comfortable. Oprah would walk out in that big stage in Chicago with sneakers on, take them off and put on the high heels and sit in the chair. And she said it just- She knows what's up. She knows she made her a better host because she was in a good mood. So last season of Dancing with the Stars, no matter your footwear, you showed incredible poise, I thought, and professionalism after an error caused you to accidentally telecouple. And this was horrible to watch, but I understand how it happens. That you told the couple that they were safe when they were actually in jeopardy. And I know everyone listening at home, it's crazy to have people talking in your ears. They've got cards, you've got the information. The teleprompter might not be right. So how hard was it in the aftermath of all that controversy? It actually wasn't hard for me because I was told the card was wrong. So I'm reading what was given to me. And what the world doesn't see is that the card was wrong. So I didn't write the card. So as much as people are like, oh my gosh, Tyra made a mistake. I'm like, Tyra didn't make a mistake. What I get hired for as a host and even you, Dr. Oz, why we are hosts of television is not for when things go great. It's for when things go wrong. When you have a guest that is not talking and going, yep, Dr. Oz, yeah, my foot hurts. Yeah, it hurts. You know, it's your job. It's like, wait, we're not gonna let them mess up this segment, right? We have to make this keep going. And so there was a huge mistake, but it is my job as a host to stay calm and to stay collected. The world doesn't hear all the crazy stuff happening in my ear with these things that we have in our ear with the stage managers and stuff. And so that's just what it is. And there could be things that happen again that are not my fault, but it is my job as a host to keep the show going. Well, it's live. You don't have a tramp. There's no trapeze. There's no safety net. These days, and look, we both lived through this. A show is lucky to even get five years, five seasons, but you're leading the 30th season of Dancing with the Stars. What's that like? You know, it feels really good. At first, I was a little bit nervous when I was asked to host this show. I got a call from Disney ABC and I was like, you want me to host that? That's been around forever. What can I bring new to it? So it took me a long time, months and months to say yes, because I wanted to make sure that I can bring something fresh, interesting and to bring the audience that I have to the show. And I think we did. I mean, we had 30% ratings were up, you know, in different demographics, 68% higher, 71% higher. And I was like, OK, we did it. And so I'm very excited to come back. All right. We have to take a break. More with Tyra Banks after this. I'm back with Dancing with the Stars host Tyra Banks. So just like your whole career, you're not satisfied with just being good. You're trailblazing. And with all the cuts and bruises, you say you've got this point. This was cool. JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson are the first same sex duo to compete on the show. How important was it for you to have that happen during season 30? You know, I, I am, I guess, a pillar for the LGBT community. I'm an advocate. I grew up in the fashion industry surrounded by beautiful people in the LGBTQ community. It just is a part of who I am. So to see this and to see the, the bravery and the beauty that Dancing with the Stars, a show that is so mass, it is so Americana, you know, from conservative to liberal America, they're putting this on television and to show that love is love. And JoJo and Jenna are very brave because they're going to get a lot of love and they're going to get a lot of challenge and a lot of, let's just keep it real, right? It's already happening, but she's first. And as I said, she's going to get the cuts and then the bruises, but it's all worth it because those create the most beautiful scars and she's going to open the door to other people where they won't have to ever feel that. So she is a true trailblazer. She's changing the world, JoJo and Jenna. Tyra, many years from now, when you and I both retired, what do you want York to say about you? I want York to say, yeah, my mom, she used to be like a model thing or whatever. But, you know, she's now an ice cream. Like just magnet, she is an ice cream mogul, you know, like we are, yes, ice cream mogul and my family. We are a family of ice cream, all kind of ice cream. We got we got normal, super premium. We got low sugar. We got vegan. We got keto. We got all the ice creams for everybody. That's what I want him to say. And that she loves to change the world and help other people reach their dreams as well. Tyra, I love being with you. Good luck to you. Thank you.