At 52, the supermodel says she is dating again, but any man hoping to win her over will need a lot more than good looks
A Quiet Ending After Seven Years
Tyra Banks has spent decades teaching women how to own a room. Now, at 52, she is bringing that same confidence to an unfamiliar chapter: being single.
For a generation of Black women, Banks was more than a supermodel. In 1997 she became the first Black woman to land a solo cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue. She then built a television empire with America’s Next Top Model, coaching young hopefuls to smize their way to the top.
The media mogul has parted ways with Louis Bélanger-Martin, the boyfriend she had been linked to since 2019. Banks confirmed the news in her usual casual style on Thursday, Nov. 12, when TMZ photographers caught up with her and asked whether she was back on the market. She said yes, then hedged with a laugh that maybe she was, while making it clear that online dating was nowhere on her agenda.
It remains unknown when the relationship ended, and Banks gave no details about what led to the breakup. The couple’s last public appearance together came in April 2025, when they attended an event for the film Shadow Force in Los Angeles.
Why Banks Isn’t Swiping Right
Friends have reportedly been nudging Banks toward Raya, the invitation-only dating app popular with celebrities and creatives. She joked that she did not even know what Raya was. Still, she confirmed she is dating and said it feels good to be on her own after such a long stretch in a relationship.
Rediscovering Herself at 52
Her confirmation followed a candid conversation days earlier. During a Tuesday, Nov. 10, appearance on New York’s Hot 97 radio show, Banks talked openly about starting over in midlife. She called herself a 52-year-old single woman and said the experience had taught her a simple lesson: it is never too late to begin again.
That outlook did not come overnight. Banks admitted she had first lost interest in dating altogether. She was content to focus on her mother and her 10-year-old son, York, whom she shares with former partner Erik Asla. For a while, she said, that circle felt like more than enough.
Her perspective has since changed. Banks said dating makes her feel feminine again, and she rejected the idea that romance has an expiration date tied to age or to simply feeling done. She described this season of her life as fully embracing her femininity. That message is likely to resonate with many Black women who have been told, directly or not, that love and desirability fade after a certain birthday.
The Standards Have Changed
Banks, long celebrated as one of the most influential faces in fashion history, was also honest about how her taste in men has evolved. When she was younger, she said, a partner simply had to be strikingly handsome. These days, looks have taken a back seat. She still wants real attraction, she explained, but he does not need to resemble a runway model. What matters more is a man who is genuinely present.
What It Takes to Date Tyra
For anyone hoping to catch the eye of the Modelland author, the playbook is simple, and sliding into her direct messages is not part of it.
Banks laid out a practical checklist. A potential partner needs steady employment and, ideally, a retirement plan. If he has children, he must be a dedicated, involved father rather than one who leaves the mother of his kids to carry the load alone. She added, half joking, that basic presentation matters too, including shoes without holes, before wondering aloud whether she should be setting the bar even higher.
Above all, Banks said she wants a man who is stable, clear about his intentions and financially independent. He does not need to be rich, she stressed. He just cannot need her money.
It is a grounded wish list from a woman who built a brand on knowing her worth. If her recent remarks are any sign, Banks is in no rush. She is open, she is clear and, for the first time in years, she is enjoying the freedom of being single.
Source: US Weekly
