Meet Your Cover Model: Gayle King

Gayle King is proof that we should always strive to reach for what we deem to be impossible.

“I never in a million years thought I would be standing here in a bathing suit for Sports Illustrated [Swimsuit], but here I am, which says to me that sometimes people can dream, God can dream, the universe can dream a bigger dream than you can ever think for yourself,” she said while on location for the 2024 SI Swimsuit Issue in Mexico. “I would have never thought this was possible. This was nowhere on my bucket list. So I’m thinking maybe it was a dream that I didn’t even know I wanted because now that I’m here, I want it bad.”

As SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day says, King “not so gently reminds us that women are
limitless and control their destinies.” And now, the three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and CBS Mornings cohost can add SI Swimsuit cover star to her already stacked résumé.

View Gayle King’s full 2024 SI Swimsuit gallery here.

For her 2024 SI Swimsuit Issue cover, King was photographed by Yu Tsai in Mexico. The 69-year-old proud mother and grandmother rocked a patterned one-piece swimsuit and matching cover-up by EVARAE for the occasion.

This year, King joins three other women—including brand icons Kate Upton, Hunter McGrady and Chrissy Teigen—who were each honored with individual 2024 SI Swimsuit Issue covers. Additionally, the franchise is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a trio of covers featuring 27 legendary SI Swimsuit stars.

“We assembled some of our most influential alumni together for one legendary photo shoot. Sure, it looks back on history. But more significantly, it’s a window into the present—where we are right now—and a hope for the future,” Day says. “The result was nothing short of spectacular. So spectacular that we created three covers, a triptych that speaks to the collective strength, power, beauty and diversity that is what SI Swimsuit looks like at 60.”

You can view the 2024 photo shoot for Gayle King here.
You can view the 2024 photo shoot for Kate Upton here.
You can view the 2024 photo shoot for Hunter McGrady here.
You can view the 2024 photo shoot for Chrissy Teigen here.
You can see more from the 2024 Legends Cover Shoot here.