Why Hilary Duff Opted Not to Wear a Bikini in Her Sports Illustrated Debut

Hilary Duff recently made her Sports Illustrated cover, but the singer and actress had one rule for the photoshoot: she wasn’t going to wear a bikini.

During a recent appearance on Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce, the 38-year-old explained the boundaries she set in place when posing for the cover of the summer 2026 issue.

“It was great to have conversations with them,” Duff explained about the making of her cover and multi-story photoshoot, “and be like, ‘Hey, I’m not going to wear a bikini. I have had four kids. I feel comfortable showing this. I feel comfortable showing this. I don’t feel comfortable showing this.’ And they were like, ‘Got it. Got it. Got it.’ ”

The photoshoot instead features Hilary in a collection of one-piece swimming costumes, posing on the beach in South Caicos with tousled blonde waves.

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The Lizzie McGuire star admitted to the podcast host that she was initially scared to sign up for the photoshoot. “My first reaction wasn’t like, ‘Oh my God! Yes, I’ll do it. My first reaction was like, ‘S—. I thought I’d get in, like, rip-roarin’ shape.’ And I’m also, I’m not a model. I’m 5’2”, had four kids… It scared me,” she told Kylie, who is married to Jason Kelce.

Ultimately, the Disney alum talked herself into doing it. “At this stage in my life, I feel really proud of myself.”

What really put the Cheaper By The Dozen star at ease was the team behind the shoot. Duff told Kylie that the Sports Illustrated shoot was largely female-led, and she could bring her own trusted glam squad, including makeup artist Kelsey Deenihan.

“The editor-in-chief is incredible. The photographer was who I wanted. It got to be my whole styling team, my hair and makeup,” she explained. “They wanted me to feel my best.”

Kylie, a mum of four herself, told Hilary how “empowering” it was to see her posing in swimwear for the magazine. “Because once you become a mom, it’s different, right?” she told The Cinderella Story actress. “Like, your body did what it did. It’s not going to be the same way that it was ever again.”