Tyra Banks Had Her 1st Alcoholic Drink at Age 50, And ‘It Wasn’t Worth It’

Tyra Banks waited five decades to taste her first alcoholic drink — and it wasn’t quite what she expected.

“It wasn’t worth it. I was like, ‘This is nasty!’” Banks, 50, recalled to People in an interview published on Wednesday, May 1, about having an alcoholic beverage on her milestone birthday.

Banks noted that she “could not wait” to turn 50. She added, “I felt it was a rite of passage to be my true self. I like to challenge misconceptions about aging by saying, ‘Child, I’m 50!’”

Banks celebrated her special day in Australia with her family, where she has been working and residing with her boyfriend, Louis Bélanger-Martin, and her 8-year-old son, York Banks Asla. (Banks welcomed York via surrogate in January 2016 with ex-boyfriend Erik Asla, from whom she split in 2017.)

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“My mom and my best friend surprised me there, and it was so magical,” Banks said. “We took a seaplane, had a meal in the middle of nowhere.”

Banks is embracing her new age — which comes with its perks. “Recently I went to a casino to meet friends, and at this casino you have to show ID to get through security,” Banks said. “There was an older gentleman next to me, I’m talking great-grandpa old, like 99. And the security guard goes, ‘Oh, you two are fine. Just go on in front of everybody. Go in.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, that’s 50’. I said, ‘You’re not going to card me?’ He’s like, ‘No, girl, you good.’”

When Banks was younger, she thought being 50 was “like great granny” where she would have “little glasses” and a “quilt on my lap and watch soap operas all day.” But now, she has a different perception.

“I was wrong,” she said. “What my life is like now is totally different than what I thought. I’m poppin’. I am not insecure about myself. It feels real good.”

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As for her biggest accomplishment to date, Banks previously gushed to Us Weekly that it’s been raising her son. “He’s the light of my life,” Banks said in March 2023.

The former Dancing with the Stars host, who has primarily kept York out of the public eye, also opened up about spending quality time with her son.

“I love coloring with him,” she told Us. “It transports me back to my elementary school [days]. We color all over the pages adding detail and squiggles, and it brings both of us such joy.”