• Hilary Duff makes her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut in the 2026 issue, photographed in South Caicos
• The 38-year-old mom of four appears on the cover alongside Alix Earle, Tiffany Haddish, and Nicole Williams English
• Duff called the experience “a little scary” but “incredibly empowering” with a mostly female crew on set
• She wore looks from SKIMS, Riot Swim, OYE Swimwear, Vitamin A, and Haight throughout the shoot
• The issue hits select newsstands May 14 and goes national May 26

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.

The post Hilary Duff Makes Her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Debut at 38 appeared first on Cream.

• Alix Earle is one of four 2026 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover models, alongside Hilary Duff, Tiffany Haddish, and Nicole Williams English
• Earle’s cover shoot took place on safari in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, photographed by Ruven Afanador
• The covers were revealed exclusively on TODAY on May 11, with the issue available digitally now and in print starting May 14
• This marks Earle’s second major SI Swimsuit milestone — she made history as the magazine’s first digital cover star back in June 2024
• The 2026 issue features 34 women total, including Brooks Nader, Ilona Maher, Bethenny Frankel, and Camille Kostek

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.

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