The 2026 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue has arrived — and this year’s cover stars are as unexpected as they are inspiring. Tiffany Haddish, Hilary Duff, Alix Earle, and model Nicole Williams English grace the covers of the iconic issue, released Tuesday, May 12th. Four women. Four stories. One powerful statement.
Tiffany Haddish — The Girl From South Central Who Became a Swimsuit Model
Nobody saw this one coming — and that is exactly the point. Tiffany Haddish, 46, makes her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut in a two-tone orange string bikini, shot on a beach in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The Emmy-winning comedian and Girls Trip star looked every inch the supermodel — and she had something to say about it.
“This little girl from south central L.A. is now a swimsuit model,” Haddish said. “If you believe in yourself enough, you can achieve anything.”
The cover comes during what Haddish describes as a continuing journey of self-discovery — one she explored openly on her Peacock docuseries Tiffany Haddish Goes Off. She is not the same person she was a year ago, and she is perfectly comfortable with that. “The things that made me happy last year don’t necessarily make me happy this year,” she said. “If you want to keep growing, you have to constantly be asking, ‘What makes me happy now?’ I want to keep growing, keep evolving, so I’ll keep doing that work.”
Hilary Duff — A Mom of Four Who Found Something Empowering in the Fear
Hilary Duff did not find this easy. The 38-year-old singer, actress, and mother of four admits that posing for the Swimsuit Issue felt scary — but she did it anyway, and the experience changed something in her.
Duff wore a cream one-piece by OYE Swimwear for her shoot in South Caicos, working with a mostly female crew that she described as feeling like a genuine celebration of women. “I’m a mom of four, and I’m not a spring chicken,” she told the magazine. “I don’t typically frolic around in a bathing suit, so it was a little scary. But it was also incredibly empowering.”
Duff has spoken publicly before about struggling with body image as a teenager — the pressure to look a certain way, to match an impossible standard. Pregnancy and motherhood have shifted that perspective in ways she did not expect. “The amount of pressure I put on myself to look like other people was a lot,” she said. “I can look at my body now and appreciate all the things it has done for me. I no longer find that I am constantly comparing myself — and that is a better place to exist.”
Alix Earle — 1.6 Billion Likes and Still Learning to Be Herself
Alix Earle built one of the most engaged followings on the internet — 1.6 billion likes on TikTok — by being honest. Her Sports Illustrated cover, shot in Botswana in a gold string bikini by Andi Bagus, is a continuation of exactly that philosophy.
The 25-year-old social media personality said the shoot pushed her out of her comfort zone in the best possible way. “I often feel like I am a big sister to my audience,” Earle said. “I’m being honest and hopefully showing that it is OK to embrace exactly who you are.” She described what Sports Illustrated Swimsuit represents in terms that felt personal rather than performative. “It’s not about presenting this perfect picture. It celebrates women, not because they are flawless, but because they are fully themselves — the good, the bad, everything.”
Her message to anyone watching from the sidelines was direct. “Getting uncomfortable is how you start feeling more comfortable. I think that willingness to try — even if it’s something that scares you — is the only way to reach your full potential.”
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