Tyra Banks Releases Lionel Richie Inspired Ice Cream Flavor

Lionel Richie has had a reputation as one of the smoothest men on the planet since the 1970s when he first strutted and sang on stage as a member of the legendary funk and soul band the Commodores. 

Once Richie spread his wings as a solo artist in the late 70s and 80s that reputation only grew. He released a string of hit love ballads and disco classics that had people across the world staying up “All Night Long” and “Dancing on the Ceiling,” on the way to him becoming one of the top-selling artists of all time with over 100 million records sold. 

So, it’s no surprise that someone would want to capture a little of that old-school magic and mix it back in today’s hectic world. The only surprise, perhaps, is that the person leading the charge to bring Richie back to the people is Tyra Banks, and the collaboration involved is not a musical one for the supermodel and sometimes singer. 

The SMiZE Cream founder, a lifelong Richie fan who also starred in one of his music videos, announced that her gourmet ice cream company’s newest flavor “All Night Love” was “inspired by Lionel's musical genius and vivacious personality!”

“His music and presence light up any room. And now, Lionel's delectable ice cream flavor will light up your palate!" Banks said, adding that the “decadent” ice cream flavor was devised by Richie and Banks at her home with help from Dr. Maya Warren

So, the question is what does Richie’s brand of Motown Magic taste like? That’s something nobody outside of SMiZE will be able to answer with certainty until September 8 when it becomes available at The SMiZE Cream shop in Santa Monica, California (nationwide shipping available at www.smizecream.com), but a press release from SMiZE paints a tasty picture:

The creamy and dreamy recipe starts with Vanilla Ice Cream, then a Midnight Cookie Crumble Swirls throughout it followed by a Salted Caramel Ribbon, and the most special part of it all - Milk Chocolate-Covered Fudge Hearts. Like all SMiZE Cream flavors, Lionel's also includes a yummy SMiZE SURPRiZE hidden inside made of Rich Caramel-scotch Cookie Dough, the brand's caramel version of butterscotch. And in a unique twist, the container for "All Night Love" features a QR code that links to fun videos featuring Tyra and Lionel or a new illustrated character created in Richie's likeness that comes alive with the technical magic of Augmented Reality.

Whether or not the ice cream lives up to that type of hype is yet to be determined, but for his part Richie is just happy to have some of his favorite hometown tastes featured in the flavor.

“It's been fun to work with the incredible Tyra Banks and to be able to share this special treat with everyone," he said.