Move over Martha Stewart! Gayle King is the latest senior citizen gracing the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
The 69-year-old “CBS Mornings” co-anchor joins models Kate Upton, Hunter McGrady and Chrissy Teigen for four separate covers of the magazine, which hits newsstands Friday.
More than 20 other models, including Stewart, Tyra Banks, Winnie Harlow, Christie Brinkley and the magazine’s first transgender cover model Leyna Bloom, celebrate the edition’s 60th anniversary on three special “Legends” covers.
“I never in a million years thought I would be standing here in a bathing suit for Sports Illustrated, but here I am, which says to me that sometimes people can dream, God can dream, the universe can dream a bigger dream than you can ever think for yourself,” King told the magazine.
King, who came to prominence as the best friend and confidant of media mogul Oprah Winfrey, was caught by surprise that she made the cover.
She learned the news Tuesday in a surprise moment during her morning broadcast as McGrady and Upton unveiled the cover live on air.
“I’m on the cover? They told me I was just going to be on the inside,” she said.
The proud grandmother revealed that she told magazine staffers she did not want retouching done on her SI Swimsuit photos — even dishing that she had a cheeseburger the day before her shoot.
“They said, ‘What about retouching?’ I said, ‘I don’t really want retouching.’ I don’t mind if you take out a couple of dimples in the thighs, however, but I really didn’t want it,” King said.
The 2024 Swimsuit Issue lineup also features model Chanel Iman, Louisiana State University gymnastics star Olivia “Livvy” Dunne, NFL wife Brittany Mahomes, influencer Lori Harvey and Big 12 athletes Jillian Hayes, Alexa Massari and Jasmine Williams.
