Hilary Duff Ditches Tradition For 2026 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover

Hilary Duff graced the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition this month and immediately turned heads while showing the world you don’t have to bare it all to be that girl.

The child actress, icon, singer, and now mom of four told SI she would not pose in a bikini for the famous photoshoot. Instead, the 38-year-old opted for a more modest look.

“Like, I have had four kids. I feel comfortable showing this. I don’t feel comfortable showing this,” Duff told Kylie Kelce, another mom of four, on the Not Gonna Lie podcast. “And they’re like, ‘Got it. Got it. Got it.'”

The 2026 SI Swim issue officially dropped Tuesday https://t.co/6WtFaChAhf

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 12, 2026

Duff donned a white one-piece with a deep plunge neckline for the summer 2026 issue. Her hair was slightly wavy, reminding millennials of Duff’s often crimped locks on the hit Disney Channel show “Lizzie McGuire.” The makeup was a natural, glowy look, perfect for the occasion, as Duff posed at a sandy beach bar in South Caicos back in February.

“The editor-in-chief is incredible. The photographer was who I wanted. It got to be my whole styling team, my hair and makeup,” she said. “They wanted me to feel my best.”

But this shoot was about more than looking pretty. Duff told Kelce she wanted this shoot to represent how proud she was of her body after giving birth to four children and showing up for her family every single day.

“My body’s worked really hard for me and produced an entire family,” Duff said.

She shares her son Luca, 14, with ex-husband Mike Comrie, and three daughters, Banks, seven, Mae, five, and Townes, who turned two earlier this month, with husband Matthew Koma.

In a previous interview with Time, Duff opened up about how her views on a woman’s body changed, especially after becoming a mother.

“I obviously, you know, grew up during that time where all of us were trying to, like, disappear and be waifs, and that’s not natural for my body,” she said. “For most of our bodies, especially as we endure the hormonal changes or motherhood and pregnancy, and all of those amazing things that make us women, right? So stronger, not smaller is a huge, impactful statement that resonates with me.”

Arguably the most popular magazine cover to be featured on, Duff, despite her confidence in her skin, was still intimidated to “model,” she told Kelce.

“My first reaction was like, ‘sh*t’— I thought I’d get in, like, rip-roarin’ shape,” Duff said. “And I’m also, I’m not a model. I’m 5’2… had four kids… it scared me.”

The pop star, who is touring this summer for the first time in almost two decades, decided to embrace the nerves and do the cover shoot.

“At this stage in my life, I feel really proud of myself.”