Birthday Girl Haley Kalil Brought Color, Power and Freckles to the Shores of Kenya

The four-time SI Swimsuit model and content creator traveled to Africa in 2019.

Ananya Panchal | Aug 6, 2024

Haley Kalil was photographed by Yu Tsai in Kenya. / Yu Tsau/Sports Illustrated

Content creator Haley Kalil made her SI Swimsuit debut in Belize in 2018, when she was discovered through and co-won the Swim Search open casting call. The Minnesota native, who turns 32 today, traveled to Kenya for her sophomore feature and Scrub Island in the British Virgin Islands for her third brand photo shoot. For her most recent feature with the franchise in 2021, Kalil posed for photographer James Macari in Hollywood, Fla.

“From that moment on, I embarked on a journey of firsts. I would walk in my first fashion show. I would shoot my first brand campaign. I would interview with many national news organizations. And, most importantly, I would shoot for the magazine for the first time,” she wrote about her debut experience with the brand. “I never truly understood the power of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit until I spen[t] two years of my life seeing the passion, dedication, and diligence of the team firsthand. They not only create beautiful, bold images—something SI Swimsuit is most known for, but they also use the platform to start conversations about diversity, body positivity, and the multidimensionality of the modern-day woman.”

Kalil, who has built her platform around sharing relatable comedic content, has also dabbled in acting and hosting. She was featured in 2023’s The Weapon and was tapped by E! News to be a pre-Met Gala host this year. The 2010 Miss Minnesota Teen USA graduated from St. Cloud State University with a bachelor of science in medical biology and psychology, as well as a minor in chemistry.

In honor of her birthday, we’re taking a marvelous look back at her colorful, mesmerizing 2019 SI Swimsuit photo shoot with Yu Tsai.

Below are seven jaw-dropping pics of Kalil in Kenya.

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Published Aug 6, 2024

ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit, where she covers fashion, beauty, pop culture and the internet’s favorite personalities and trends. She joined the brand in 2022 after roles at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. Panchal loves to write about fashion in all its forms—from standout runway moments and evolving street style to the best accessories to elevate each season’s wardrobe (she rarely goes anywhere without a stack of jewelry and a coffee in hand). A self-proclaimed beauty fanatic, she’s always on the hunt for must-have products and loves breaking down viral trends. Her favorite series at the moment is spotlighting female founders and the stories behind the brands they’ve built—especially those shaping the future of fashion, wellness and tech. She is based between New York City and San Francisco and, when she’s not writing, can be found rewatching One Tree Hill, playing sudoku, trying new restaurants or ranking her favorite Disney Channel Original Movies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism with a minor in criminal justice from Boston University.