Hilary Duff covers ‘Sports Illustrated’ Swimsuit Issue, even though she says she’s ‘not a spring chicken’

By Andrea Dresdale May 12, 2026 | 11:40 AM

Hilary Duff attends The Daily Front Row’s 10th Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards on April 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

It must be luck or something: Hilary Duff is one of this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover models.

Hilary joins social media star Alix Earle, comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish and model Nicole Williams English as the cover girls for the 2026 edition of the iconic issue. SI Swimsuit editor-in-chief MJ Day writes, “Hilary’s career arc is its own form of quiet rebellion, in which she continues to reinvent herself, leaning into each season with confidence, humor and grace.”

You can see Hilary’s full shoot online now; it was done in South Caicos, one of the Turks and Caicos islands. Hilary, 38, mostly wears one-piece suits and a few high-waisted two-pieces.

“I’m a mom of four and I’m not a spring chicken,” she tells the magazine. “So, of course it was flattering.”

She adds, “I don’t typically frolic around in a bathing suit, so it was a little scary. But it was also incredibly empowering. It was a mostly female crew on set, and it really felt like a celebration of women.”

“I can look at my body now and appreciate all the things it has done for me,” she notes. “I no longer find that I am constantly comparing myself — and that is a better place to exist.”

The magazine spread comes ahead of Hilary’s upcoming live performances: She has three shows at The Voltaire in Las Vegas starting on May 22, then she’ll officially launch her Lucky Me tour June 22 in West Palm Beach, Florida. The tour comes in support of Hilary’s album luck… or something, which came out in February and was her first in more than 10 years.