Tyra Banks just gave her mother the ultimate tribute. The supermodel and business mogul left fans in tears after revealing her new Smize & Dream ice cream shop in Sydney, Australia, dedicated to her mom, Carolyn London, for all the sacrifices she made as a single mother.
In a heartwarming Instagram video posted Tuesday, Tyra surprises her mom with a first look at the new storefront. Carolyn’s reaction was immediate tears. “Oh my God, it’s beautiful,” she said through sobs, clutching Tyra’s hand as they walked toward the shop together.
But what made this moment so powerful was the why.
Years ago, when Tyra was just a young girl with big dreams, Carolyn was a single mother grinding to make ends meet. Sometimes, she worked two jobs. Sometimes three. And at the end of every exhausting week, no matter how tired she was, she’d take little Tyra out for ice cream in Hollywood. Just the two of them. Sitting in the car. Dreaming together.
“We would talk about what we wanted out of life,” Carolyn recalled in the video. “And how we wanted to live. Ice cream was our celebration.”
So when Tyra launched her Smize & Dream brand, an ice cream business with inspirational messages hidden inside every scoop, it wasn’t just about building another empire. It was about honoring those small, quiet moments that helped shape her into the powerhouse she is today.
With tears streaming down her face, Tyra told her mom, “It’s crazy, mama because when I look at everything, I can’t believe this is real. Yeah, it’s my dream, but it’s more than what I dreamed. This is dedicated to you.“
Inside the shop, there’s even a handwritten note from Tyra, paying tribute to her mother’s strength, guidance, and unwavering love.
Anyone who watched ANTM, you will remember Carolyn as the calm, wise force who occasionally appeared on the show to drop gems and motivate the models. Behind the scenes, she has been Tyra’s rock, her manager, and her creative collaborator, including on their co-written 2018 book, “Perfect Is Boring.“
Now, that legacy of love and support is forever frozen in scoops of Smize & Dream.
