OG Angel Tyra Banks made a stunning return to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Runway last night (October 15th), turning heads and sparking conversations everywhere – even catching the attention of her former “nemesis”, supermodel Naomi Campbell.
During the star-studded runway show—which featured the return of icons like Adriana Lima, Ashley Graham, Candice Swanepoel, and Gigi Hadid—Naomi Campbell, long rumored to have had past tension with Banks, took to Instagram with a playful post.
She posted a clip from one of her RuPaul’s Drag Race appearances, featuring Madison Rose’s track “Iconic,” which fittingly starts with the line, “I wanna walk like Tyra.”
Campbell then takes in the contestant’s performance and says, “It was perfection for me,” which many took as a subtle nod of appreciation to the America’s Next Top Model creator.
Ahead of her grand return, Banks shared an empowering message on Instagram, stating:”You are…Never too young to SMiZE. Never too old to DREAM. And I hope you’ll be doing both with me tomorrow when I rock that @victoriassecret runway again after almost 20 years!”
“As I walk, think about YOUR dreams, what YOU want to accomplish. That thing you’ve been doubting about yourself. That thing you’re not sure you are confident enough to accomplish,” she continued.
“Don’t ever stop DREAMING. But now, it’s time to get to DOING!” she added. “YOU GOT THIS!”
The Life-Size actress made history as the first Black model to cover the lingerie brand’s catalog and later walked in 10 consecutive Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows before its hiatus. She also wore the iconic and intricate Fantasy Bra two times and did it all in under 8 years.
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Regarding her tension with Campbell, rumors suggest it began when Banks felt that Campbell, whom she idolized as a Black woman in the modeling industry, was unwelcoming toward her in Paris.
I had very painful early days in Paris,” Banks told People in 2019.
“As much as I was booking every single fashion show, people didn’t know I was going home every night crying my eyes out because the woman that I was looking up to seemed like she just didn’t want me to be there and was doing everything in her power to make me go away,” she reflected.
“And I didn’t understand that, as a young girl, like why is she doing this, this is so evil, this is so awful.”
Fast forward to a 2005 episode of The Tyra Banks Show, where Banks confronted Campbell about alleged remarks, recalling, “You’ll never be me. Don’t think you can be me.”
“You called me the B-word and said, ‘We have a photoshoot to do in Anguilla and it’s not going to be pleasant if you’re talking about me like that,'” Banks recounted.
To this, Campbell responded, “I’m not someone to go and give myself away and say that to anybody. I’ve never said that in my life.”
“If that’s what you remember, I accept that person, but that doesn’t sound like me to people who know me,” she added.
Campbell also offered Banks an apology for her role in their feud, and the two runway queens ended the episode having made peace.
