Hilary Duff Makes Her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Debut at 38

Hilary Duff has officially arrived at her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit moment — and she looks absolutely incredible doing it.

The Lizzie McGuire alum, 38, makes her debut in the 2026 SI Swimsuit Issue, landing a cover spot alongside Alix Earle, Tiffany Haddish, and Nicole Williams English. Photographer Kat Irlin captured the entire shoot on location in South Caicos — a quiet, marine-rich island that gave the editorial its dreamy, coastal-escape feel. The issue hits select newsstands on May 14 and goes national on May 26.

For her cover shot, Duff struck a seated pose in powdery white sand, modeling a cream one-piece with a deep plunging neckline that dipped low down the center. Soft gathered fabric around the bust added just enough texture to keep the minimalist look from feeling flat. Her blonde hair fell in loose, tousled waves — sun-kissed and effortless — while bronzed skin, feathered brows, and a nude glossy lip completed the look.

On May 13, Duff shared a behind-the-scenes photo dump on Instagram, captioning the carousel “a make believe day with fairytale people.” The gallery quickly set off a frenzy in the comments.

The Looks That Had Everyone Talking

The shoot featured a range of bold and beautifully styled swimwear moments. One of the most-talked-about was a fully see-through white SKIMS ribbed top layered over a barely-there brown Riot Swim bikini — the sheer fabric clinging close to her body while the low-rise V-cut bottoms with gathered side detailing kept the whole thing feeling effortlessly island-ready. She posed barefoot on sunlit stone floors and near open windows, letting the natural light do the heavy lifting.

Another standout: a sculptural OYE Swimwear one-piece with black cutouts across the front and sides that gave the shoot a sharper, more editorial edge. She also wore a white bra top with sheer mesh panels paired with matching high-waist bikini bottoms — caught mid-laugh by the pool in a photo that fans couldn’t stop screenshotting — plus a deep brown string bikini set, and additional one-pieces from Vitamin A and Haight. Throughout it all, loose wet-look waves, smoky-neutral eyes, and tiny gold hoop earrings kept the styling grounded and cool.

Fans wasted no time flooding the comments. “Hot,” one user wrote simply. “Forever obsessed!” wrote another. A third added, “Looking better than ever Queen!” Over on X, at least one user appeared genuinely shocked, claiming the former Disney star has gotten “way hotter.”

‘I’m a Mom of Four, and I’m Not a Spring Chicken’

For all the stunning photos, what makes Duff’s SI moment feel different is what she said about getting there.

“I’m a mom of four, and I’m not a spring chicken,” she told Sports Illustrated. “So, of course, it was flattering. I don’t typically frolic around in a bathing suit, so it was a little scary, but it was also incredibly empowering. It was a mostly female crew on set, and it really felt like a celebration of women.”

That shift in perspective didn’t happen overnight. Duff has been open about her complicated relationship with her own body over the years, and she says she’s in a genuinely different headspace now.

“I can look at my body now and appreciate all the things it has done for me,” she said. “I no longer find that I am constantly comparing myself — and that is a better place to exist.”

It’s a sentiment that runs through everything she’s doing right now. Duff released her comeback album Luck… or Something earlier this year after an 11-year hiatus from music — and she’s been equally candid about the nerves that came with that. “Everyone has a way to tell you how they feel about what you make, and that felt scary,” she told Rolling Stone. “I was like, ‘Why would I subject myself to this? We have a happy life and amazing kids.’ But obviously, I miss performing, and I desperately miss having that person be in the forefront.”

That same intentionality is shaping how she approaches everything these days. “Rather than just saying yes to everything, I think a lot more about what I am doing — I’m intentional about what I do,” she explained. “Whatever I do, I try to think, Does this feel authentic? Does it resonate with my life? I no longer have to try things on for size or do things just because someone has asked me to. I do the things I want to do and I’m not afraid to be vocal about what does or doesn’t work for me — and it feels great.”

The SI debut arrives right in the middle of what’s shaping up to be a full-blown Hilary Duff renaissance — with her global Lucky Me Tour still ahead. “A make believe day with fairytale people” might have been the caption, but this one feels very, very real.