We are continuing our celebration of the 60th anniversary of
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Supermodel Kate Upton made a big splash as the magazines
Rookie of the Year and went on to land three
different covers in 2017.
The 60th Anniversary Covers of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue features
Upton as one of its cover stars and the special
7.
New issues also include model Chrissy Teigen and Hunter McGrady,
who is making her debut on the cover as well.
Hunter and Kate. They join us right now only on
Welcome. Thanks for having us.
May I be the first to give you your own
cover?
Yes. I haven't
seen any special.
It was so good. No,
it does surreal every. Oh my God.
Beyond who they get biased.
Hold on. I wanna see
that. Yeah, let us see.
Oh yeah. Let the camera see.
I wonder. This is a first for you.
Tell me what this is like for you.
Oh my gosh. This has been my dream forever.
I started with Sports Illustrated in
2016. You know, as a plus sized woman.
I'm all about representation. And
but we also, my biggest messages were so much more
than our bodies.
Yeah. Yes, this is me and my body and the
cover of magazine.
But I'm so much more than that.
And it's exciting to, you know,
finally be put on this huge platform in that way.
So how did you find out you were on the
cover last week?
I had a fake fitting and all of a sudden
they had me come downstairs from my house to grab
a package and MJ and a camera crew popped out
of my living job and they were like
and I was just absolutely taken to the oh,
I hope somebody videotaped that for you,
Kate. This is your fourth.
Yes. It never gets old,
does it? It never gets old.
And they still find a way to surprise me because
I've.
I've never seen it. You guys just showed it to
me for the first time.
So MJ really wanted me to be surprised.
So they always, she always has tricks up her sleeve.
I I I think it's interesting though,
guys. The evolution of Sports Illustrated,
because honestly, like I said in a piece,
I thought I was being punked.
Because you just think never when you say it was
your dream,
it was never my dream,
'cause I never had a shot at.
I never thought I had a shot at anything like
this.
But when you look at the women that they put
on the cover and the message that they want to
give to the world about women are bodies,
different races, different ages. I think it speaks to what
this,
what this magazine is all about,
what it represents. Yes, it's about taking our power back.
It's about being confident in our body.
No matter what you look like and knowing that you
deserve to be there,
You have, you have your voice matters and
you can empower yourself by by being confident.
You can be everything. You can be smart,
you can be beautiful. Yes,
you can be confident like everybody.
I feel like when this magazine first came around,
wants to put everyone in a box
and MJ really took this magazine and made it empowering
for all women.
Did it change your career?
It completely used my career.
I just remember your dance that you used to.
I remember that way that.
But I was in Sports Illustrated before that.
I, you know, I. It was a dream of mine
because as a model at the time,
before social media,
Sports Illustrated was the only magazine that put your name
next to your photo.
That's right. Is the only way that you could possibly
start your own brand or take your brand further?
Yeah, we take that for granted now that you're exactly
that.
Before Sports Illustrated, no one had do that.
But now Sports Illustrated gives you a platform.
Now that there is
social media that they do still put your name by
your photo,
but they also give you a platform like this,
media tours, being able to speak about what you're passionate
about or causes that matter to you.
So they're continuing to give you that.
So Kate and Hunter aren't the only cover stars in
the room right now,
trying to find this next cover star.
She is right here, right here.
So, GAIL,
you are officially, officially just going to be a Sports
Illustrated swimsuit
dummy cover. Get in. No,
no, no,
no. Real real. Be on the newsstand.
Yeah.
Oh my God.
Oh my
You
were just talking to them about how Oh my God,
the cover women. I can't.
What that? Let me just look at her.
I know
is gorgeous. Take it in.
But you just it goes to say like sexy isn't
an age.
Sexy isn't a size. Like look how beautiful you look
That's so inspiring to women of all ages.
Like yes, girl, you decide just for status mornings.
This is no, this is the sale.
Yes sale. They are very intentional about their choices.
How does it make you feel?
Oh my God, I don't even.
I don't even know what to say to you right
now.
I don't. You sigh. We I can't say enough about
you sigh.
The photographer. Because he tells you how to pose,
how to put your fingers,
how to move your legs with your toes up and
extend your toes do your finger.
But I just think I just never in a million.
You listen, you're talking to somebody who my grandmother said
to me Mother Nature was not as kind to you
as she was to other little girls.
OK, Grandma. Yeah, my grandmother.
Maybe you need to start wearing makeup like your friend
Oprah,
because Oprah and I were friends back then.
I mean, I just never saw myself this way,
still don't see myself this way.
But when I look at that,
I go that look damn good.
Yeah, you look good.
You look really good. You look amazing.
And you are a legend.
And appropriately, as a legend,
that is not your only cover.
You're also on the Legends edition of Sports Illustrated.
Do we have that magazine?
Oh my God,
I'm like, I haven't seen it either.
I can't get over it.
I cannot get over it,
you know, because they said and and they said,
what about retouching? I said,
I really don't want retouching.
I don't mind if you take out a couple of
dimples in the thighs,
however, but I really didn't want.
And and this is the thing about MJ,
'cause I said, oh, now I have to starve myself,
She goes, Nope, we don't want you to do anything.
That's what I thought. The beauty of that is we
don't want you to do anything that you don't normally
do.
So I actually had a cheeseburger the day before I
go.
Really goes Nope, we don't want you to do anything
that you don't normally do.
Yeah. Didn't you feel that too,
Hunter, 'cause I was so
self-conscious about how I would look from day one.
I felt that like, Oh my God,
can't get over this accepted me.
She's she's offered me to shoot both times I was
pregnant.
I gave birth a week after I said no because
I was giving birth.
Like she. John Tower said we have to go next.
No, we don't. John GAIL,
you look absolutely stunning. Congratulations.
Congratulations, Kate. Thank you so much.
Course Illustrated 60th anniversary editions are available Friday.