Happy 60th anniversary, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue!
The iconic magazine that has launched or cemented supermodel careers over the years will celebrate its 60th anniversary when it releases its 2024 edition.
And with the milestone comes an epic party: Several supermodels and celebrities will converge in Florida for a “Swimsuit Island”-themed Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue weekend and launch party. Features include interactive events, live entertainment, celebrity guests, and, of course, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue models.
The magazine commemorates six decades of beauty, diversity and empowerment. Since 1964, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue — or SI Swimsuit for short — has set the standard for celebrating the beauty of women from all walks of life, inspiring confidence and redefining beauty norms, its website states.
Here’s what we know about the 2024 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, the SI Swimsuit Issue models and the 60th anniversary launch party in Florida.
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When will 2024 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue be released?
The 60th anniversary edition of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue was released Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
Who’s on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue 2024?
The editors at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue released the cover models for the 60th anniversary issue:
- Kate Upton
- Chrissy Tiegen
- Hunter McGrady
- Gayle King
Who are the models of 2024 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue?
Here’s a list of models featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue 60th anniversary edition:
- Model and Taylor Swift bestie Brittany Mahomes, wife of Patrick Mahomes, two-time Super Bowl winner and quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs
- Model and entrepreneur Jena Sims, wife of LIV golf pro Brooks Koepka, who posed for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue while she was 7 months pregnant
- Model Lori Harvey, daughter of comedian and game show host Steve Harvey
- 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model Martha Stewart
- Three-time Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model, actress and "America's Next Top Model" host Tyra Banks
- Hunter McGrady
- Four-time Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model Kate Upton
- Chrissy Tiegen
- Gayle King
- Three-time Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model Christie Brinkley
When is the 2024 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue launch party? How much are tickets?
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue 60th Anniversary launch party will be at 11 a.m. May 18 and 19, 2024, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. “Swimsuit Island through the decades fan experience” on Saturday, May 18, includes a full-body workout, swimsuit swag, belly chain beading and a chance to recreate Kate Upton’s zero-gravity SI Swimsuit Issue photo shoot. On Sunday, guests will have the chance to “recover like a model” with a morning workout and meditation, along with programming dedicated to promoting overall mind and body wellness. Lymphatic massages, IV drips and more will be on site to help guests recuperate from a weekend of activity. Tickets are $75 for general admission each day or $125 for a weekend pass. A VIP event costs $200.
Who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2023?
Celebrity chef and author Martha Stewart, actress Megan Fox, singer Kim Petras and model Brooks Nader were the cover models for the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. According to SI.com, the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover featuring Food Network queen Martha Stewart is sold out. (More on Martha Stewart below.)
Who has the most Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers?
Supermodel Elle Macpherson holds the record for most Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers with five: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1994 and 2006. In addition to a decades-long modeling career, Macpherson, nicknamed The Body, has appeared on “Friends.”
Kate Upton, who grew up in Melbourne, Florida, is second with four Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers: 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2024
Who was the first cover model for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue?
The first model to grace the inaugural Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue was Babette March.
Who was on the cover of the 25th anniversary Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue?
Actress and model Kathy Ireland (“Melrose Place”) appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for the magazine’s 25th anniversary in 1989.
Who was the first Black cover model for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue?
Tyra Banks made history as the first Black cover model for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1993. Banks’ iconic photo shoot took place in the Florida Keys. The supermodel, actress, and host of “America’s Next Top Model” and “Dancing with the Stars” also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2019.
Who was the first plus-sized model on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue?
Ashley Graham was the first plus-sized model to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue as an SI Rookie in 2016.
Who else has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue multiple times?
In addition to Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson, supermodel Kate Upton, who grew up in Melbourne, Florida, appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue four times, in 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2024. Upton first appeared in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue as a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Rookie in 2011 at age 18.
Other threepeat Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover models:
- Cheryl Tiegs was the first supermodel to appear on Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue three times: 1970, 1975 and 1983
- Christie Brinkley was the first supermodel to appear on Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue three times in a row: 1979, 1980 and 1981
- Supermodel Kathy Ireland appeared on the 25th anniversary issue of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for one of her three covers: 1989, 1992 and 1994
- Supermodel Daniela Pestova: 1995, 2000 and 2006
- Supermodel Tyra Banks, the first Black cover model for Sports lllustrated Swimsuit Issue: 1996, 1997 and 2019
Who was the oldest cover model for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue?
Martha Stewart made history in 2023 by becoming the oldest cover model for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue — at age 81.
The lifestyle guru Stewart, who previously modeled as a teenager, foundedMartha Stewart Living Omnimedia and has written nearly 100 books, ranging from cookbooks to home and garden to decorating. Stewart went viral for posing for the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue and becoming the brand’s oldest cover model in history. Since then, she has posted “thirst traps” on social, including a viral bathroom selfie she shot in Florida.
Blanche Devereaux?Ahead of Martha Stewart CNN special, SI swimsuit model posts sultry thirst trap selfie
What is Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Rookies?
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Rookies is an open casting call. Dubbed “Swim Search,” the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's annual casting call provides opportunities for aspiring and established models to meet with the SI Swimsuit team in hopes of being featured in either the iconic print issue or in various ways on their digital platform, a news release states.
In 2023, out of thousands of submissions, 12 finalists were selected to move on to the next round. Earlier this year, Sports Illustrated announced its Swim Search finalists at the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue Launch event. From the 12, seven finalists were then selected to walk in the brand’s annual Swim Week runway show in Miami. In addition to Miami Swim Week, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Rookies attended magazine launch week events in New York City and Hollywood, Florida. The seven finalists were named Rookies and will appear in the 2024 SI Swimsuit Issue’s platforms (see below), the 60th anniversary issue.
Who are the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Rookies?
In October 2023, Sports Illustrated announced its 2023 Swim Search winner results. Here is info about them, according to SI Swimsuit’s site:
- Achieng Agutu, a “content creator, model and confidence advocate from Kenya, Agutu uses her platform to empower her following through her lifestyle content as a Black woman in fashion. She has a double master’s in international marketing and business analytics and speaks four languages fluently. Agutu, 26, has aspired to be in the SI Swimsuit Issue ever since she moved from Kenya to the U.S. at the age of 13.”
- Nina Cash, a native of Long Beach, California, is a “retired university associate dean and model. She has a doctorate in educational leadership, with an emphasis in higher education and adult learning, and more than 30 years of experience in education, training and workforce development. The 57-year-old mom of three calls her modeling pursuit her ‘encore career,’ and she’s thoroughly enjoying defying people’s expectations of her along the way.”
- Sharina Gutierrez, a “proud mom of three, Gutierrez is a model, sound guide and self-love advocate from Los Angeles. The 33-year-old is also the founder of Mama Mantra, a community for fellow mothers.”
- Penny Lane, a “British model and certified holistic health coach, 27-year-old Lane has long been a fan of the SI Swimsuit brand. She recalls feeling empowered by the images she saw in the magazine at the age of 15, and immediately began dreaming of seeing herself in the pages.”
- Brittney Nicole, a Naval contractor from Georgia, began to “pursue a career in modeling after she completed her contract and worked for the Navy as a civilian. Nicole, 32, has since walked the New York Fashion Week runway and even auditioned for ‘America’s Next Top Model’” with supermodel and host Tyra Banks.
- Jena Sims, a 34-year-old nonprofit CEO, fashion designer and new mom, is “married to one of the most celebrated professional golfers, Brooks Koepka, and participated in a rigorous audition process this year for the title, and did so during the entirety of her pregnancy, even walking in the annual SI Swimsuit Runway Show when she was 8 months pregnant.”
- Berkleigh Wright, a “29-year-old technical account manager and analyst by day and a cheerleader for the Denver Broncos. The Kansas native is an avid reader who chronicles her reading journey with a vlog, ‘Bookin’ It With Berk.’”
Who are some of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue models from Florida?
- The most famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue model from Florida is supermodel Kate Upton, who was born in Michigan and grew up in Melbourne, Florida. Upton appeared on the cover in 2012, 2013 and 2017 and was first featured in the magazine in 2011.
- Pro tennis player Naomi Osaka, whose mother is Japanese and father is Haitian, was the first Black athlete cover model for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2021.
- In 2024, the 60th anniversary edition of SI Swimsuit will feature Jena Sims, who, for years has stood by her famous husband's side, cheering him on. Sims, thewife of pro golfer Brooks Koepka, was named one of seven Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Rookies — and the process to get there was a labor of love for the Jupiter, Florida, model. Literally. She participated in a rigorous audition process for the title, and did so during the entirety of her pregnancy.
- Model and It girl Lori Harvey, daughter of Steve Harvey, and former girlfriend of actor Michael B. Jordan (“Black Panther”), has a Florida tie. According to a January 2024 VIBE.com story, Lori Harvey attended college at Florida International University briefly on an athletic scholarship. However, a debilitating back injury cut her equestrian career short, the site states. Lori Harvey launched her own swimsuit and resort wear brand, Yevrah Swim, with Revolve, as well as a skincare brand, SKN by LH.
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her onTwitteror Instagram at@byjensangalang. Support local journalism.Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
