Supermodel and TV icon Tyra Banks recently shocked viewers with a candid confession about her unusual personal habits during a guest co-hosting appearance on Today with Jenna and Friends. The 51-year-old America’s Next Top Model creator opened up about her self-described “disgusting and erotic” obsession with pimple popping and toenail cleaning revealing that she enjoys “picking” dirt from under toenails, even if it means dealing with toe jam in all its colorful, unpleasant glory.
“I like to pick,” Tyra said, explaining that she’s perfectly comfortable extracting grime from toes. “If it has some stuff in it, I don’t mind digging it out,” she told Jenna Bush Hager. Tyra clarified she always uses a proper kit complete with alcohol and tools—for hygiene. Her services are apparently open to a wide circle: “Anyone that wants it my mom, my friends, my man, my son,” she added.
But not everything is fair game. Tyra was quick to establish boundaries, saying she won’t go near anyone’s “nether regions,” but from the chest up and knees down? “It’s on.”
Her obsession doesn’t stop at picking. The SMiZE and DREAM founder also admitted to an odd cleaning ritual that includes eating crumbs found in her bed and even on the floor. “If you put it in the trash, I’m like, ‘You might get roaches or something,’” she said. “So just clean it up with your finger and eat it.”
She insisted some crumbs, like popcorn, are fair game even days later. “That’s like astronaut food—it lasts forever.”
Though her revelations drew groans from the show’s crew, Tyra was unapologetic, calling the habits an “addiction” that touches a strange blend of sensory satisfaction. “It’s disgusting and erotic at the same time,” she quipped. “You know what I’m talking about, people!”
Love it or loathe it, Tyra’s raw honesty about her peculiar pleasures shows once again she’s never been afraid to be herself—warts, toe jam, and all.
