By Megan Riedlinger
1:00pm PST, Jan 21, 2024
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Sports Illustrated's annual Swimsuit Issue is eagerly anticipated every year. The images on its cover and inside pages are responsible for helping turn models into supermodels thanks to stunning editorials photographed in beautiful locales all over the world. Where are some of the biggest stars from the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue now?
In the wake of the Jan. 19, 2024, news that SI's publisher has started massive layoffs — with the potential for the entire staff to be gone in three months, leaving the iconic periodical's future in peril — we're taking a look at the biggest SI models over the years to find out where they are now…
Carol Alt appeared on more than 500 magazine covers in the '80s but it was one in particular — the 1982 cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue — that shot her to fame. She again posed for the magazine in 1989.
Keep reading to see her and more SI Swimsuit Issue models today…
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Carol Alt also tried her hand at acting, appeared on "The Celebrity Apprentice" in 2008 and from 2013 to 2015 hosted the show "A Healthy You & Carol Alt" on Fox News. She's also long been an advocate for raw food diets — she's even written several books on the subject. "When you hit 40, when you hit 50, you need an edge. Botox is not the answer," she told Sarah Best's blog. "I'd like to grow old gracefully and that's only possible if you're healthy." In 2008, she founded Raw Essentials, a skincare and beauty line.
In November 2023, Carol announced that she was joining OnlyFans at 62. "Life is about being a maverick," she told DailyMail.com of her decision. "Life experience is a powerful tool if channeled properly. Only Fans is the next generation of content producing revenue. It's important to own your own content. Platforms like this are the future. Always move with the times. I am taking risks, exploring new ways to connect with the audience and fans."
Carol married famed hockey star Ron Greschner in 1983 — the year after she was on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. They divorced in 1996 and she moved on with another hockey player, Alexei Yashin.
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Rebecca Romijn got her start modeling in the '90s and landed her first gig in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1994. She made six appearances in the magazine over the years, landing the coveted cover in 1999 and 2006.
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These days, most people associate Rebecca Romijn with acting! Despite an impressive modeling career that included plenty of ad campaigns and runway appearances, a role in "X-Men" in 2000 set the star on a different path. She appeared as Mystique in four films in the franchise in the '00s and moved to the small screen for a role on "Ugly Betty" later that decade. She more recently joined a juggernaut franchise — "Star Trek"! Since 2022, she's starred on the series "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" as Number One. The actress, who was married to John Stamos for five years in the late '90s and early '00s, wed actor Jerry O'Connell, with whom she shares twin daughters, in 2007.
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Cheryl Tiegs graced the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue pages 11 times beginning in 1970. She landed the cover in 1970 and 1975. Her last appearance was in 2004.
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These days it seems every celebrity has a product for sale, but Cheryl Tiegs has the impressive distinction of being the first supermodel to launch a retail venture back in 1980. Her brand with Sears achieved almost $1 billion in sales by 1989, and she expanded her empire with a sportswear line on QVC and a wig line with Revlon. She's popped up on television a few times over the years, with a 2011 appearance on "RuPaul's Drag Race," a 2012 run on "The Apprentice" and, more recently, a role in 2016's "Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens." The former model is a mother of three who was married four times.
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Elle Macpherson was on five Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers, setting a record and earning herself her famous nickname, "The Body." She also appeared in the issue five other times.
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Elle Macpherson enjoyed a lucrative modeling career that also paved the way for business ventures like Elle Macpherson Intimates and a skin care line. Presenting duties also followed suit, with the stunner serving as host and executive producer of "Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model" from 2010 until 2013. She also hosted and executive produced NBC's short-lived "Fashion Star" series and appeared on "Australia's Next Top Model" in 2016. Elle has two sons with former beau Arpad Busson. She's been in a relationship with musician Doyle Bramhall II — who previously dated Oscar winner Renee Zellweger for seven years — since 2022.
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Kathy Ireland not only covered the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue three times — she appeared in its pages 13 times!
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At the 2014 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue's 50th anniversary event, Kathy Ireland's 1989 cover was named the greatest cover of all time. The beauty's modeling career flourished over the years and she launched a successful brand licensing company, kathy ireland Worldwide, in 1993. It still continues to be a juggernaut, earning $3.1 billion by 2021. Aside from massive financial success, Kathy found happiness in her personal life too. She's been married to Greg Olsen, a doctor, since 1988; they share three children, Erik, Lily and Chloe.
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Kate Upton was named Rookie of the Year during her first run in the magazine back in 2011. She appeared on the cover in 2012, 2013 and 2017 and also posed inside in 2014.
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Kate Upton's modeling career continued to flourish after she donned body paint as the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue's Rookie of the Year. She posed for brands like Guess, Express, David Yurman, Betsey Johnson and more and also dabbled in acting, appearing in 2012's "The Three Stooges," 2014's "The Other Woman" and 2017's "The Layover." The beauty isn't as active in the entertainment world these days, but she recently co-created a 12-week fitness program, Strong4Me, and has her own skincare line, Found Active. The model wed baseball player Justin Verlander in 2017 after three years of dating. The two welcomed a daughter in 2018.
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With eight appearances under her belt, Rachel Hunter is no stranger to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The New Zealand-born beauty appeared in the magazine from 1989 until 1991 then again in 1993, 1994, 2003, 2004 and 2006.
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Rachel Hunter appears to not have aged a day. Post-Sports Illustrated, the model has popped up on her fair share of reality television projects — everything from "Dancing with the Stars" and "New Zealand's Got Talent" to "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" and "Hollywood Medium." She shares two kids with former husband Rod Stewart, Renee and Liam. These days, Rachel — who became a first-time grandma in 2023 — has an online yoga platform and an Instagram account that chronicles her spiritual journeys.
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Molly Sims was a fixture in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the early '00s, appearing in its pages from 2000 through 2002, then again in 2004 and 2006.
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Molly Sims transitioned from modeling to acting in the '00s, landing a starring role on NBC's "Las Vegas" from 2003 until 2008. From there, she continued to pop up on the small screen with roles on shows like "The Carrie Diaries" and "Men at Work." She also did a stint on ABC's "The View" from 2015 until 2016, serving as a contributor on the morning talk show. Off screen, she launched her own jewelry line in 2004, Grayce by Molly Sims. She's been married to Netflix executive Scott Stuber, with whom she has three kids, since 2011.
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It's a pretty impressive feat to be on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue three times — and it's even more impressive to do it back to back to back like Christie Brinkley did from 1979 to 1981. Prior to that, she was featured in the issue in 1975, 1976 and 1978. She also appeared in 1989, 2004, 2014 and 2017 (alongside daughters Sailor Brinkley Cook and Alexa Ray Joel!).
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With massive contracts with CoverGirl and an editorial career that landed her on more than 500 magazine covers, Christie Brinkley's modeling career has been incredible. In 2019, she competed on "Dancing with the Stars," though it was short-lived — after sustaining an injury, she was replaced by daughter Sailor Brinkley Cook. More recently, she competed on "The Masked Singer" in 2022. The mother of three has four failed marriages under her belt and these days keeps her love life as private as possible. Her most recent relationship was a nearly year-long romance with rock star John Mellencamp that ended in 2016.
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Paulina Porizkova made a whopping seven Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue appearances during her illustrious career, posing for the magazine for the first time in 1983. She was on back-to-back covers in 1984 and 1985 and continued to appear inside its pages in 1986, 1989 and 1992 before returning in 2004 for the 40th anniversary issue as well as in 2018 and 2019.
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Paulina Porizkova continued to model while making a few television appearances over the years. The beauty joined the cast of "America's Next Top Model" as a judge in 2008 for cycle 10, remaining with the show through 2010. She also competed on "Dancing With the Stars" in 2007 and popped up on a 2009 episode of "Desperate Housewives" and a 2012 episode of "Jane by Design." Though her body looks better than ever, her personal life has certainly changed since her SI days — the model was married to late rocker Ric Ocasek from The Cars, with whom she has two sons, for three decades. They separated in 2017 but were still living together when he died in their home in 2019 following a surgery. She dated screenwriter Aaron Sorkin in 2021, though the romance was short-lived.
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Brooklyn Decker made her first Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue appearance in 2006 then came back every year through 2011. She landed the cover in 2010.
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Brooklyn Decker transitioned pretty seamlessly from modeling to acting, landing a role in the 2011 film "Just Go With It" before starring in "Battleship" and "What to Expect When You're Expecting" in 2012. She starred on Netflix's "Grace and Frankie" from 2015 to 2022. Off screen, the former model has been married to tennis star Andy Roddick since 2009. They share two children.
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When she appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2009, Bar Refaeli became the first Israeli model to do so. That wasn't her first year in the magazine though: She also appeared in its pages in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012.
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Bar Refaeli was well known for her modeling career, but her relationship with a big star brought her even more fame: She dated Leonardo DiCaprio from 2005 to 2009 before splitting in 2009, rekindling things in 2010 then moving on in 2011. Bar married Israeli businessman Adi Ezra in 2015; the couple shares two daughters and a son. After years of legal wrangling in a tax evasion case, the model reached a plea deal in 2020 that saw her agree to serve nine months of community service and avoid jail time. She hosted "The X Factor Israel" from 2013 to 2018 and in 2019 hosted "The Eurovision Song Contest."
