Meet Your Cover Model: Alix Earle Redefines the Modern-Day Mogul

The cover of SI Swimsuit 2026 proves “The Alix Earle Effect” remains powerful.

The phrase, originally coined by marketing veterans, describes the impact the content creator and brand founder has when lending her likeness to products, with her 14 million followers across social media clamoring to see her latest posts. In 2026, that remains truer than ever as she continues to redefine what it means to be a modern-day mogul and grow her portfolio of accomplishments, which now includes a cover spot on the 2026 issue of SI Swimsuit.

Known for her authentic vibes and candid persona, Earle is no stranger to the SI Swimsuit family. In 2024, she walked in the SI Swimsuit runway show during Swim Week in Miami, making the occasion a family affair with her sisters Penelope, Izabel and Ashtin. Later that same year, she graced the cover of the brand’s inaugural digital issue. She returned in 2025 for her first print feature in beautiful Bermuda, once again joining the magazine in Miami for a second turn on the catwalk that May.

Now, she’s landed her first print cover. Reuniting with SI Swimsuit in Botswana, Earle posed for an unforgettable feature with photographer Ruven Afanador. “Alix has grown up in the public eye and transformed access into influence,” SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day says of the model.

Click here to view Alix Earle’s full gallery.

The last few years have been particularly exciting for the star, who got her start posting online in 2020 as a 19-year-old college student. For starters, she relaunched her successful Hot Mess podcast as a YouTube vlog, giving fans a stripped-down look at her day-to-day life. She can also be seen interviewing celebrities there on her “Get Real With Me” series. Then, in fall 2025, she joined the cast of Dancing With the Stars for Season 34, consistently earning perfect scores from the judging panel and ultimately coming in second place.

And things kept coming up Earle in 2026. In January, she announced she’d landed her own unscripted show on Netflix. She also launched her first skincare line, Reale Actives, in late March, which promptly sold out on the first day. “I’ve come to realize that you have to focus on being your true self and you also have to be your own biggest fan,” she tells SI Swimsuit. “No one is going to have your back the way that you can for yourself.”

When it comes to her third year with SI Swimsuit, Earle aims to bring the same brand of authenticity she always has, showing fans around the world that the best thing to be is precisely who you are. “I often feel like I am a big sister to my audience,” she adds. “I’m being honest and hopefully showing that it is O.K. to embrace exactly who you are ... And that’s exactly what SI Swim does. It’s not about presenting this perfect picture. It celebrates women, not because they are flawless, but because they are fully themselves—the good, the bad, everything.”

Earle is one of four cover stars for the 2026 SI Swimsuit Issue. She is joined by actor-singer Hilary Duff, comedian Tiffany Haddish and four-time brand star Nicole Williams English. Read more here.