Hilary Duff Wouldn’t Wear a Bikini for Her “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit” Cover Debut: Here’s Why

NEED TO KNOW

• Hilary Duff made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut in a plunging one-piece in the summer 2026 issue

• She revealed why she wouldn’t wear a bikini on the cover, and shared the SI Swimsuit team’s reaction

• Duff also said she was initially “scared” to accept the shoot because she’s “not a model”

Hilary Duff just became a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model, and one of her conditions for the photo shoot was simple: no bikinis.

During the Thursday, May 14 episode of Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce, the 38-year-old musician and actress — who appears on the cover of the summer 2026 issue in a plunging one-piece swimsuit — explained to host Kylie Kelce how the behind-the-scenes chats about her condition went down.

“It was great to have conversations with them,” Duff recalled of the cover shoot experience, “and be like, ‘Hey, I’m not going to wear a bikini. I have had four kids. I feel comfortable showing this. I feel comfortable showing this. I don’t feel comfortable showing this.’ And they were like, ‘Got it. Got it. Got it.’ ”

“There’s so much power in that,” the mom of four added. “I am so proud of my body.”

The revelation about her no-bikinis rule came after the A Cinderella Story actress recalled to the 34-year-old podcast host — also a mom of four — that her initial thoughts on the cover shoot proposal were not immediately enthusiastic.

“My first reaction wasn’t like, ‘Oh my God! Yes, I’ll do it. My first reaction was like, ‘S—. I thought I’d get in, like, rip-roarin’ shape.’ And I’m also, I’m not a model. I’m 5’2”, had four kids… It scared me,” Duff told Kelce, who pushed back on her assertion that she’s “not a model.”

“These photos suggest otherwise, Hilary,” said the podcast host. “They seriously do.”

But ultimately, Duff said she decided “I will do this.” Added the Disney Channel alum: “At this stage in my life, I feel really proud of myself.”

Kelce, meanwhile, shared how “cool” — and “unbelievably empowering” — it was to see another mother of four on the cover of a magazine like Duff’s SI Swimsuit debut.

“Because once you become a mom, it’s different, right?” she told Duff. “Like, your body did what it did. It’s not going to be the same way that it was ever again.”

Along with her plunging one-piece, Duff — who released her first album in over 10 years, luck…or something, earlier this year — wore effortless mermaid waves for the SI Swimsuit cover, which was snapped in South Caicos by photographer Kat Irlin. Duff’s other photos feature swimwear like a black one-piece, a sweet red one-piece and a high-waisted, white two-piece.

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She made her debut in the magazine alongside Love Island USA‘s Olandria Carthen and Gabi Moura. They are joined by Christen Goff, Katie Austin, Jena Sims, Jasmine Sanders and Ellie Thumann in the class of stars who were photographed by Kat Goguen on the Gulf Coast beaches.

Duff’s fellow cover stars include Alix Earle, Tiffany Haddish and Nicole Williams English, all of whom got their own covers.

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