Tiffany Haddish is on the cover of the 2026 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, released Tuesday, May 12, in a rollout that puts the 46-year-old comedian, actor and activist alongside Hilary Duff, Alix Earle and Nicole Williams English as this year’s cover stars.
For her debut with the magazine, Haddish wore a two-tone orange string bikini by Same for a beach shoot in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico. “This little girl from south central L.A. is now a swimsuit model,” she said, adding, “If you believe in yourself enough, you can achieve anything.”
The cover lands after a year in which Haddish has stayed close to Stockton through her friendship with Jason Lee. She visited the city in March to join Lee in celebrating Read Across America at Aspire Secondary Academy in Sierra Vista and August Knodt Elementary School in Weston Ranch, and she took part in his Hollywood Cares Foundation 3rd annual Toys For Joy event in Stockton in December.
Lee has described Haddish as his friend and “ride or die,” and said he bonded with her over their shared foster care experience. In a December 2025 post, he wrote that he had “at least one best friend, ride or die, blood wouldn’t make us any closer type person” in Haddish, and said her commitment to foster kids, the community and culture was unmatched.
The Sports Illustrated release is part of a four-cover issue, and Haddish’s appearance is tied to a broader turn in her public image as she talks more openly about growth and reinvention. In an interview for the cover shoot, she said she is still learning what fits her now, not just what worked before. “The things that made me happy last year don't necessarily make me happy this year,” she said. “If you want to keep growing, you have to constantly be asking, 'What makes me happy now?'”
She added, “I want to keep growing, keep evolving, so I'll keep doing that work.” That theme runs through the cover itself: a performer known for comedy and acting, now presented in a space usually reserved for younger models and athletes, and doing it on her own terms.
Haddish has visited Stockton multiple times over the years through her connection with Lee, and that relationship gives the cover more than celebrity gloss. It puts a familiar face in a national magazine at a moment when she is framing her career around change, confidence and the work of becoming someone new.
