Twenty three years after she became the first African-American supermodel to grace the magazine's cover, the 'America's Next Top Model' host is unraveled as one of its 2019 cover girls.
- May 9, 2019
AceShowbiz - Tyra Banks is back on the front of the Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue 23 years ago after her first cover.
The ageless beauty became the first African-American supermodel to grace the magazine's cover back in 1996, and now the 45-year-old has briefly ended her retirement to grace the publication for a third time.
Raving about her new cover shot, in which she wears a yellow Andi Bagus string bikini, Tyra tells "Good Morning America", "My first one was 23 years ago, how crazy is that. I'm like, 'Damn, I'm 45, dog!'."
Tyra reveals the SI team recreated her second magazine cover for the shoot but they couldn't find the exact red and pink polka-dot bikini she wore.
"They couldn't find the actual one in the archives, so they had it made again and I put it on again," she explains. "So, 25 pounds later...".
Tyra is one of three cover models - U.S. soccer star Alex Morgan and model Camille Kostek grace the other two.
The new issue also features 54-year-old Paulina Porizkova and breaks new ground by showcasing 21-year-old model Halima Aden, posing in a burkini and a hijab.
The Muslim model wore a variety of modest ensembles for the shoot, which took place at Watamu Beach in her native Kenya.
