Singer Lizzo has been named the July 2026 digital cover star for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, achieving a goal she says she had dreamed about for years. Speaking to Paper magazine editorial director Mickey Boardman, Lizzo shared that she and her team had often imagined this moment while creating her swimwear brand, Yitty Swim.
She said, “Every time I do Yitty Swim, I always feel like it’s Sports Illustrated level. When I believe what I dream, it comes true.”
For the cover shoot, Lizzo wore a black bikini from her own Yitty Swim collection, which launched in 2022. She paired it with a custom sheer black sarong and Ralph Lauren earrings. Her hair was styled in loose honey colored curls as she posed in front of palm trees.
Lizzo said that when she was younger, she never thought someone with her body type would appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. Looking back, she believes ideas about beauty and confidence have changed over the years.
She said, “When I was younger, I saw it and never imagined somebody with my body type would be on the cover. It’s just incredible to see how we’ve redefined sexy, redefined confidence and redefined what a swimsuit body is since I was a kid.”
The singer also spoke about the criticism she expected after the cover was released. Addressing people who may react negatively, she said, “Seeing this cover of me all sexy and fat and fabulous in my Yitty Swim may trigger some people. But, you know … Stay triggered.”
In the photo shoot, Lizzo also wore a gold Yitty one piece swimsuit with Chloé shell earrings. Other looks included shell trimmed bikinis by Oisri and a chartreuse Sienna Swim bikini paired with a green striped Faithfull The Brand sarong and accessories from Simero, Morning Joy, and Roxanne Assoulin. The shoot took place over 2 days at a Spanish style mansion in South Florida and aboard a yacht on the bay.
Lizzo also revealed that she intentionally gained 20 pounds over the past year because she wanted a different look. She said, “I wanted to get thicker. I wanted to get juicier and thicker, and I did. Little do they know it was intentional.”
The night before the cover shoot, Lizzo performed at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit runway show during Miami Swim Week, wearing a bright blue Yitty one piece with the word “Bitch,” the title of the album she released in May.
Looking ahead, Lizzo is preparing for several new projects, including a biopic about Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her first children’s book, “Lil Lizzo Meets Sasha B. Flootin’,” which is scheduled to be released later this fall.