Swimsuit

Ilona Maher Has Perfect Comeback to ‘Sad’ Trolls in Her Comment Section

The Olympian and SI Swimsuit model isn’t mincing words when it comes to rude comments.

Allie Hayes

Ilona Maher was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by Tropic of C.
Ilona Maher was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by Tropic of C. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

In case you’re new around here: Ilona Maher doesn’t suffer fools. And why should she?

The 29-year-old Olympian, podcast host, Dancing with the Stars runner-up and two-time SI Swimsuit model—who first joined the brand in 2024 for a digital cover spot before returning for an in-print feature in the 2025 issue—is the definition of a star. And even outside of her impressive professional résumé, the multi-hyphenate has cultivated a loving and loyal fan base thanks to her relatable humor, incredible work ethic and charismatic confidence.

Still, with that level of magnetism come those who can’t handle the shine, and this week Maher clapped back at those exact trolls by basically saying that if you can’t handle her shine, well...that sounds like a skill issue: get some sunglasses or stay indoors.

“The negative comments on videos of me seem to have ramped up,” read the text over the Olympian’s latest Instagram video. “So just as a reminder [...]”

Sporting a fitted black tank with her long brunette hair pulled back in a ponytail, the clip showed Maher mouthing along to the words of Megan Thee Stallion’s forget-the-haters anthem, “Thot S**t.” In the caption, she went on to point out that she’s noticed an uptick in cruel comments about her lately; however, she finds these uncreative attempts to bring her mood down pretty “boring.”

The model then listed examples of the types of remarks she’s read before absolutely annihilating them, pointing out that—while these users are busy writing hate comments online—she’s busy cashing checks and making history.

And even though the video was about rude comments, there was no shortage of wonderful comments under the clip on social media, courtesy of her 5.2 million famous friends and supportive fans:

“Who‘s leaving negative comments? I hope they can fight cause no one comes for our @ilonamaher,” one fan warned.

“Every era has its icon, this one’s you 👑,” Lolo Jones wrote.

“👏👏👏👏,” Kendall Toole applauded.

“Don’t ever drop your crown 👑💋 we love you!” The official brand account for Maybelline added.

“period,” Sophie Cunningham concluded.

Still, this is hardly the first time Maher has had to deal with bullies, which she opened up about during her interview in the September 2024 digital issue of SI Swimsuit. However, those unwelcome statements only served to fuel her fabulous ferocity—both on and off the rugby pitch.

“I was always like, you know, called masculine or whatever,” she shared. “But I never felt that way. But I don’t think you’re going to bully the girl who could probably beat you up in a rage. I love that [rugby] showed me what I can do. It showed me how capable my body is, and it’s not just like a tool to be looked at and objectified.”

In short, Maher: 1 million points. Haters: Zero.

More Ilona Maher:

feed

Published
Allie Hayes
ALLIE HAYES

Allie Hayes is an experienced pop culture staff writer and editor specializing in movies, TV and celebrity news. Before joining the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit team as a Breaking/Trending News Editor, she worked at several outlets including BuzzFeed, The Daily Dot, and Newsweek. When she’s not writing for work (or writing for fun), you’ll find her curled up on the couch reading yet another romance novel, obsessively watching pro wrestling with her friends, or taking blurry photos of her two adorable cats.

Home/SwimNews