Alix Earle Is a 2026 SI Swimsuit Cover Model

Alix Earle has officially made the leap from TikTok’s most-followed it-girl to Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover star. The influencer-turned-entrepreneur was revealed Tuesday as one of four cover models for the 2026 SI Swimsuit issue, joining singer Hilary Duff, comedian Tiffany Haddish, and model Nicole Williams English for what the magazine is calling one of its most expansive issues to date.

Earle’s shoot took her somewhere truly extraordinary — the Okavango Delta in Botswana, where she posed in a series of tiny bikinis against the backdrop of one of Africa’s most breathtaking safari landscapes. The location, which spans Stanley’s Camp and Baines’ Lodge along the Boro River at the edge of the Moremi Game Reserve, is home to 9,000 species of flora and fauna, with lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, and zebras roaming freely nearby. Photographer Ruven Afanador captured Earle in swimwear by Andi Bagus, and the results are exactly as stunning as you’d expect.

“I feel such an honor and it’s such a privilege to be a Sports Illustrated cover model,” Earle said in a behind-the-scenes video from the shoot. “It was the best day of my life!”

She’s in New York City this week for the issue’s launch — and she won’t be the only cover star in town. Several of the women will light up the Empire State Building in honor of the release, and SI Swimsuit is hosting an exclusive pop-up called the Social Club. The issue is available now on swimsuit.si.com and across digital platforms, with print copies hitting some markets May 14 and rolling out nationally May 26.

From Digital Pioneer to Full Cover Star

This isn’t Earle’s first time turning heads for SI Swimsuit. In June 2024, she made history as the magazine’s first-ever digital cover star, posing for two shoots in Miami. Tuesday’s announcement makes her a full cover model — a natural next step for someone who has spent the last two years becoming one of the most recognizable faces in the influencer world.

SI Swimsuit Editor-in-Chief MJ Day was effusive about what each of the four cover stars brings to the issue. “From Tiffany’s deeply human story rooted in joy and honesty, to Alix’s evolution of access into influence, to Nicole’s commitment to authentic growth and Hilary’s quiet reinvention marked by confidence, humor and grace,” Day said. “Together, they represent the power of embracing every chapter.”

The other cover shoots were equally globe-spanning: Duff, photographed by Kat Irlin in OYE Swimwear, shot in Montauk; Haddish, photographed by James Macari in Slate Swim, shot in South Caicos; and Williams English, photographed by Ben Watts in Same swimwear, shot along the coastline of Fort Myers, Florida. Additional locations for the broader issue included Loreto and Baja California Sur in Mexico.

Beyond the four cover stars, the 2026 issue features 34 women total drawn from film, sports, social media, fashion, and business — a roster that includes Olympic gold medalists, WNBA champions, Brooks Nader, Ilona Maher, Bethenny Frankel, Hannah Berner, Remi Bader, Camille Kostek (who also shot in Botswana), and Olandria Carthen, among others. “The 2026 issue continues SI Swimsuit’s tradition of celebrating women at every stage of their lives and careers, with body diversity, inclusivity and authentic representation at the heart of every creative decision,” the magazine said.

A Big Year for Earle Off the Pages, Too

The SI cover lands at a particularly busy moment for Earle. She recently launched her skincare brand Reale Actives, and she has an unscripted reality show coming to Netflix later this year. Off-screen, she’s been making headlines of a different kind after being spotted getting cozy with Tom Brady at a New Year’s party in St. Barths — her first high-profile link-up since her split from ex-boyfriend Braxton Berrios, a wide receiver and return specialist for the Texans, after two years together.

Day put it simply: there’s “no single blueprint for success or happiness” — and if Earle’s trajectory is any indication, she’s writing her own.