From a TikTok star to a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit star.
The iconic brand revealed Alix Earle as one of the cover models for the 2026 SI Swim issue on Tuesday, sharing a behind-the-scenes video from the photoshoot, which took place in Botswana in January.
The Reale Actives founder looks stunning in a number of different bikinis while posing in the middle of a safari.
“I feel such an honor and it’s such a privilege to be a Sports illustrated cover model,” Earle said in the video.
“It was the best day of my life!”
Earle is in New York City this week for the launch of the May issue.
SI Swim previously released in March some photos from Earle’s shoot.
The “Dancing With the Stars” alum made SI Swimsuit history as the magazine’s first digital cover star in June 2024, posing for two photoshoots in Miami.
Singer Hilary Duff, comedian Tiffany Haddish and model Nicole English were also announced as 2026 cover models on Tuesday.
Camille Kostek, a former cover model who appears in the 2026 issue, also had her photoshoot in Botswana.
The models traveled to Stanley’s Camp and Baines’ Lodge, which are located in the Okavango Delta in Botswana and sit on the Boro River at the edge of the Moremi Game Reserve.
The area features 9,000 species of flora and fauna, where lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes and zebras roam.
Earle is having herself a year.
Fresh off the success of the launch of her skincare brand, Reale Actives, Earle has an unscripted reality show coming to Netflix later this year.
Earle was linked to Tom Brady after the pair were spotted getting cozy together at a New Year’s party in St. Barths earlier this year.
It came following her split from ex-boyfriend, Braxton Berrios, a wide receiver and return specialist for the Texans, after two years.
