Ellie Thumann Shares Her Most Viral TikTok Ever

The 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie is best known for her YouTube channel.

Ellie Thumann was photographed by Derek Kettela in Puerto Rico.Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

Ellie Thumann, a rookie in the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue, is best known for her lifestyle, fashion and beauty YouTube channel, which she started at the age of 12. The 21-year-old, who was photographed by Ben Watts in Puerto Rico for this year’s magazine, pinpoints her growth over the years to three factors: the 2.2 million subscribers she has now, keeping her content consistent and authentic, and allowing her audience to grow through the awkward phases of life with her.

View Ellie Thumann’s full 2023 SI Swimsuit gallery here.

“I think I attribute my success to starting at a young age and when it wasn’t a very common thing or something that was as normalized as it is now,” she says. “Sticking through it and working with my family—that really helped support me.”

When TikTok became the new “it” social media platform, Thumann hopped on and now has 794,000 followers.

Her most viral video is a silly, quirky clip from August 2021, of her and her older sister Erin Thumann in Italy.

“Are you really sisters if the younger one isn’t taller,” reads the on-screen text.

The clip, set to a sound snippet from Beyoncé’s “7/11,” garnered 10.7 million views.

“We did a video comparing our height and dancing, ’cause we’re both super awkward with dancing,” Thumann tells SI Swimsuit while on location. “It got like [10] million views of people relating to being the younger, taller sister. It was so random.”

Thumann adds that she really looks up to her older sister, who is also her best friend and roommate in South Carolina.

Ellie Thumann was photographed by Derek Kettela in Puerto Rico. Swimsuit by BĀBEN. Hat by Denimcratic.

Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

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