# List of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover models

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". There seems to have been no reports of any association of the SI jinx with the swimsuit issue.
There is much public interest in who is on the cover of fashion magazines with websites dedicated to the subject. 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. It is especially noteworthy if a cover model has a solo cover appearance. The unveiling of the swimsuit issue cover and its model is a media event, widely reported in the press.
For some, the image of these models on the cover of a sports magazine is a moral issue. Each year, the issue generates numerous letters from readers both in support and in opposition of the issue. 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.
Numerous types of trivia and statistics are monitored regarding the swimsuit issue cover subjects. Several have gone on to subsequent success in Hollywood. Others have become the spouses of notable celebrities. 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 | Name (appearance) | Notes |
| January 20, 1964 | Babette March | |
| January 18, 1965 | Sue Peterson | |
| January 17, 1966 | Sunny Bippus | |
| January 16, 1967 | Marilyn Tindall | |
| January 15, 1968 | Turia Mau | |
| January 13, 1969 | Jamee Becker | |
| January 12, 1970 | Cheryl Tiegs | |
| February 1, 1971 | Tannia Rubiano | |
| January 17, 1972 | Sheila Roscoe | |
| January 29, 1973 | Dayle Haddon | |
| January 28, 1974 | Ann Simonton | |
| January 27, 1975 | Cheryl Tiegs (2) | first repeat cover model |
| January 19, 1976 | Yvette Sylvander Yvonne Sylvander | first multi-subject cover |
| January 24, 1977 | Lena Kansbod | |
| January 16, 1978 | Maria Joao | most cancellations (340), most letters regarding a cover (2947) |
| February 5, 1979 | Christie Brinkley | |
| February 2, 1980 | Christie Brinkley (2) | |
| February 9, 1981 | Christie Brinkley (3) | first three-time cover model |
| February 8, 1982 | Carol Alt | |
| February 14, 1983 | Cheryl Tiegs (3) | |
| February 13, 1984 | Paulina Porizkova | youngest Swimsuit Issue cover model at age 18 |
| February 11, 1985 | Paulina Porizkova (2) | |
| February 10, 1986 | Elle Macpherson | |
| February 9, 1987 | Elle Macpherson (2) | |
| February 15, 1988 | Elle Macpherson (3) | |
| February 7, 1989 | Kathy Ireland | Best selling swimsuit issue, 25th anniversary |
| February 12, 1990 | Judit Mascó | |
| February 11, 1991 | Ashley (Richardson) Montana | |
| March 9, 1992 | Kathy Ireland (2) | |
| February 22, 1993 | Vendela Kirsebom | |
| February 14, 1994 | Kathy Ireland (3) Elle Macpherson (4) Rachel Hunter | pregnant cover models (Ireland & Hunter), first four-time cover model (Macpherson) |
| February 20, 1995 | Daniela Peštová | |
| January 29, 1996 | Valeria Mazza Tyra Banks | first African-American cover model |
| February 21, 1997 | Tyra Banks (2) | first dedicated special issue, first African-American solo cover model. |
| February 20, 1998 | Heidi Klum | |
| February 12, 1999 | Rebecca Romijn | |
| February 1, 2000 | Daniela Peštová (2) | |
| February 1, 2001 | Elsa Benítez | |
| February 1, 2002 | Yamila Diaz-Rahi | |
| February 18, 2003 | Petra Němcová | |
| February 10, 2004 | Veronika Vařeková inset Anna Kournikova | 40th anniversary |
| February 15, 2005 | Carolyn Murphy inset Jessica White, Marisa Miller, Yamila Diaz-Rahi | |
| February 17, 2006 | 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 | Beyoncé Knowles inset Bar Refaeli | First non-model and non-athlete |
| February 12, 2008 | Marisa Miller | |
| February 10, 2009 | Bar Refaeli inset Brooklyn Decker | |
| February 12, 2010 | Brooklyn Decker | |
| February 15, 2011 | Irina Shayk inset Kate Upton | |
| February 14, 2012 | Kate Upton inset Alex Morgan | |
| February 13, 2013 | Kate Upton (2) inset Hannah Davis | |
| February 18, 2014 | Nina Agdal Lily Aldridge Chrissy Teigen (1) flip-cover Kate Upton | 50th Anniversary |
| February 20, 2015 | Hannah Davis | |
| February 23, 2016 | Ronda Rousey Ashley Graham Hailey Clauson | First issue with multiple front covers |
| February 20, 2017 | Kate Upton (3) | First cover model with multiple front covers |
| February 18, 2018 | Danielle Herrington | |
| May 13, 2019 | Tyra Banks (3) Camille Kostek Alex Morgan | |
| July 13, 2020 | 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. |
| May 17, 2024 | Kate Upton (4) Chrissy Teigen (2) Gayle King Hunter McGrady Legends | 60th Anniversary. Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2024 - Celebrating 60 years of Influence. |

## Models on multiple covers

Most covers by model :
| Model | Number of covers | Issues |
| Elle Macpherson | 5 | 1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, 2006 |
| Kate Upton | 4 | 2012, 2013, 2017, 2024 |
| Christie Brinkley | 3 | 1979, 1980, 1981 |
| Cheryl Tiegs | 3 | 1970, 1975, 1983 |
| Kathy Ireland | 3 | 1989, 1992, 1994 |
| Daniela Pestova | 3 | 1995, 2000, 2006 |
| 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 |
| Chrissy Teigen | 2 | 2014, 2024 |