‘Can’t sit here and not tell the truth’: Tyra Banks kept loss of home in LA fires private until now for one valid reason

The devastating Los Angeles wildfires have claimed the lives of many and destroyed the homes of countless others and, in a recent interview, Tyra Banks heartbreakingly revealed that she is among the celebrities who have lost their homes in this apocalyptic disaster.

During an interview conducted by Channel Seven’s Sydney Studios in Australia, the 51-year-old former supermodel opened up about the fear she experienced during the wildfire — all while living abroad. As they discussed the devastation caused by the fires and the impact on Banks’ friends and family, the American supermodel itted that she, too, was one of the victims who lost their home.

“But you know, some people have lost their houses,” said Natalie Barr, one of the hosts. Banks responded, “I know, I was one of them.” Her reply immediately elicited a shocked reaction from both Barr and her co-host, Matt Shirvington, who gasped in surprise. “I haven’t really talked about it, but yeah, I have,” Banks explained. “just didn’t want to pull a lot of attention to me, I feel like there’s a lot of people that need that attention so I haven’t talked about it. But I can’t sit here and not tell the truth.”

This entirely valid reason for keeping the information private has also become one of the more debated and criticized aspects of the wildfire’s aftermath. The fires destroyed a significant number of large homes and properties belonging to wealthier classes and celebrities — people who, at the end of the day, often have the resources to recover what they’ve lost. Still, losing everything they own is a devastating experience, one that many of us can’t begin to fully comprehend.

Despite no longer living in Los Angeles, Tyra Banks and her partner, Louis Bélanger-Martin, lost the home they cherished for so many years. “I kept checking my phone — not for my house, but for my friends and family, to make sure they were evacuating,” Banks shared, her eyes welling up with tears. “And then I asked my partner, ‘I’m seeing something on my phone here,’ and he… [nods]. I just pulled myself together and didn’t say anything to my friends. I stayed in that moment. Then we went home, cried, and had our moment.”

Originally from Inglewood, California where she was born and raised, Banks now splits her time between Sydney, Australia, and New York City. Fortunately, she had already moved most of her belongings to New York before the Palisades fires broke out, leaving her LA home relatively empty at the time it went in flames. Nevertheless, it is surely still deeply unsettling to see the state where she was born and raised facing such a catastrophic event — alongside the feeling of helplessness from being abroad.

Banks is currently preparing to open her first ice cream store, Smize & Dream, at Darling Harbour in March. While the fires — burning through more than 23,700 acres and destroying over 5,000 structures — took away a significant piece of her life and memories, she will surely continue to move forward with exciting new projects on the horizon.