Elle Macpherson holds the record for most swimsuit issue covers, with five
Tyra Banks was the first African American swimsuit issue cover model
Camille Kostek landed a solo cover in 2019 after being scouted in the issue's first ever open casting call

This is the chronological history of cover models for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue has grown from being an issue of Sports Illustrated magazine created to fill space at a time of year with little sports news into a major marketing franchise that includes a special separate issue, a website, television specials, calendars, books and enormous amounts of advertising. It began as a short photo spread of women in bathing suits and has become a fashion issue for beachwear worn by the world's top models. Being the subject of the Sports Illustrated magazine cover is a well chronicled event which has both become a measure by which fame is measured and a status which is supposedly accompanied by a curse known as the "SI jinx".[1] There seems to have been no reports of any association of the SI jinx with the swimsuit issue.

There is a lot of public interest in who is on the cover of fashion magazines with websites dedicated to the subject.[2] For supermodels being on the cover of important magazines is a matter of prestige and achieving the cover of Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit edition is quite a celebrated highlight.[3] It is especially noteworthy if a cover model has a solo cover appearance.[4] The unveiling of the swimsuit issue cover and its model is a media event,[5] widely reported in the press.[6]

For some, the image of these models on the cover of a sports magazine is a moral issue. The issue generates numerous letters from readers both in support and in opposition of the issue each year. Numerous subscribers cancel subscriptions as a matter of propriety annually. Recently, Time Warner took action to avoid many of the complainants by withholding the Swimsuit issue from certain types of recipients, such as libraries and schools.[7]

Numerous types of trivia and statistics are monitored regarding the swimsuit issue cover subjects. Several have gone on to subsequent success in Hollywood.[8] Others have become the spouses of notable celebrities.[8] The following list is a list of models chosen as subjects for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover, incorporating some related statistics and trivia.

List of covers

Issue [9] Name (appearance) Notes
January 20, 1964[10] Babette March
January 18, 1965[11] Sue Peterson
January 17, 1966[12] Sunny Bippus
January 16, 1967[13] Marilyn Tindall
January 15, 1968[14] Turia Mau
January 13, 1969[15] Jamee Becker
January 12, 1970[16] Cheryl Tiegs
February 1, 1971[17] Tannia Rubiano
January 17, 1972[18] Sheila Roscoe
January 29, 1973[19] Dayle Haddon
January 28, 1974[20] Ann Simonton
January 27, 1975[21] Cheryl Tiegs (2) first repeat cover model
January 19, 1976[22] Yvette Sylvander
Yvonne Sylvander		 first multi-subject cover
January 24, 1977[23] Lena Kansbod
January 16, 1978[24] Maria Joao most cancellations (340),[25] most letters regarding a cover (2947)[8]
February 5, 1979[26] Christie Brinkley
February 2, 1980[27] Christie Brinkley (2)
February 9, 1981[28] Christie Brinkley (3) first three-time cover model
February 8, 1982[29] Carol Alt
February 14, 1983[30] Cheryl Tiegs (3)
February 13, 1984[31] Paulina Porizkova youngest Swimsuit Issue cover model at age 18[32]
February 11, 1985[33] Paulina Porizkova (2)
February 10, 1986[34] Elle Macpherson
February 9, 1987[35] Elle Macpherson (2)
February 15, 1988[36] Elle Macpherson (3)
February 7, 1989[37] Kathy Ireland Best selling swimsuit issue,[8] 25th anniversary
February 12, 1990[38] Judit Mascó
February 11, 1991[39] Ashley (Richardson) Montana
March 9, 1992[40] Kathy Ireland (2)
February 22, 1993[41] Vendela Kirsebom
February 14, 1994[42] Kathy Ireland (3)
Elle Macpherson (4)
Rachel Hunter		 pregnant cover models (Ireland & Hunter),[8] first four-time cover model (Macpherson)
February 20, 1995[43] Daniela Peštová
January 29, 1996[44] Valeria Mazza
Tyra Banks		 first African-American cover model
February 21, 1997[45] Tyra Banks (2) first dedicated special issue,[25] first African-American solo cover model.[4][46]
February 20, 1998[47] Heidi Klum
February 12, 1999[48] Rebecca Romijn
February 1, 2000[49] Daniela Peštová (2)
February 1, 2001[50] Elsa Benítez
February 1, 2002[51] Yamila Diaz-Rahi
February 18, 2003[52] Petra Němcová
February 10, 2004[53] Veronika Vařeková
inset Anna Kournikova		 40th anniversary
February 15, 2005[54] Carolyn Murphy
inset Jessica White, Marisa Miller, Yamila Diaz-Rahi
February 17, 2006[55] Veronika Vařeková (2)
Elle Macpherson (5)
Rebecca Romijn (2)
Rachel Hunter (2)
Daniela Peštová (3)
Elsa Benítez (2)
Carolyn Murphy (2)
Yamila Diaz-Rahi (2)
inset Heidi Klum, Maria Sharapova		 record 5th cover for Macpherson
February 15, 2007[56] Beyoncé Knowles
inset Bar Refaeli		 First non-model and non-athlete
February 12, 2008[57] Marisa Miller
February 10, 2009[58] Bar Refaeli
inset Melissa Baker
February 12, 2010[59] Brooklyn Decker
February 15, 2011[60] Irina Shayk
inset Kate Upton
February 14, 2012[61] Kate Upton
inset Alex Morgan
February 13, 2013[62] Kate Upton (2)
inset Hannah Davis
February 18, 2014[63][64] Nina Agdal
Lily Aldridge
Chrissy Teigen
flip-cover Kate Upton		 50th Anniversary
February 20, 2015[65] Hannah Davis
February 23, 2016[66] Ronda Rousey
Ashley Graham
Hailey Clauson		 First issue with multiple front covers
February 20, 2017[67] Kate Upton (3) First cover model with multiple front covers
February 18, 2018[68] Danielle Herrington
May 13, 2019[69][70] Tyra Banks (3)
Camille Kostek
Alex Morgan
July 13, 2020[71] Kate Bock
Jasmine Sanders
Olivia Culpo
July 19, 2021 Megan Thee Stallion
Naomi Osaka
Leyna Bloom		 Stallion is the first rapper cover. 2nd non-athlete or model to cover.
Osaka is the first tennis player to cover, and first person of Asian descent to cover.
Bloom is the first trans model to cover.
May 19, 2022 Kim Kardashian
Ciara
Maye Musk
Yumi Nu 		Musk was the oldest model to ever appear on the cover until 2023.
May 19, 2023 Martha Stewart
Kim Petras
Megan Fox
Brooks Nader 		Stewart became the oldest model to ever appear on the cover.
Petras is the second openly trans woman to appear on the cover.

Models on multiple covers

Elle Macpherson has the most covers in the issue's history with five
Most covers by model[8]
Model Number of covers Issues
Elle Macpherson 5 1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, 2006
Christie Brinkley 3 1979, 1980, 1981
Cheryl Tiegs 3 1970, 1975, 1983
Kathy Ireland 3 1989, 1992, 1994
Daniela Pestova 3 1995, 2000, 2006
Kate Upton 3 2012, 2013, 2017
Tyra Banks 3 1996, 1997, 2019
Paulina Porizkova 2 1984, 1985
Rachel Hunter 2 1994, 2006
Rebecca Romijn 2 1999, 2006
Elsa Benítez 2 2001, 2006
Yamila Diaz-Rahi 2 2002, 2006
Veronica Varekova 2 2004, 2006
Carolyn Murphy 2 2005, 2006

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