Meet Your Cover Model: Tiffany Haddish Is Forever Evolving

Tiffany Haddish is a dynamic presence, whether she’s delivering one-liners on stage or making audiences double over in laughter on the big screen. The 46-year-old stand-up comedian and actress is an Emmy, Grammy and NAACP Image Award winner who continues to break boundaries with her career.

Since her breakout role in 2017’s Girls Trip, Haddish has gone on to release a New York Times best-selling memoir, several Netflix specials and a slew of additional film roles in projects like Night School and Like a Boss. The same year Girls Trip hit theaters, Haddish became the first Black female stand-up comedian to host Saturday Night Live, winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her work. Four years later, she became the second Black woman in history to win a Best Comedy Album Grammy Award.

With such an impressive résumé in Hollywood and beyond, we are thrilled to announce Haddish as one of our 2026 SI Swimsuit Issue cover models. The Los Angeles native was photographed by James Macari in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico, for her brand debut, and her time on set with the SI Swimsuit team was just as hilarious as one might think.

Tiffany Haddish was photographed by James Macari in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico. | James Macari/Sports Illustrated

Click here to view Tiffany Haddish’s full gallery.

“The first thing I thought was, I have to make sure my cuckoo doesn’t come out,” Haddish joked of her wardrobe while on location. “Those bathing suits were itty bitty and I just was thinking, My booty is going to eat this up. I wanted to keep it classy.”

These days, Haddish, who grew up in foster care, is making it her priority to give back. As the founder of the She Ready Foundation, she works to support children in foster care while providing kids with resources like suitcases—something so small that made such a huge difference to her as a child.

“When I was in foster care and was getting moved around a lot, all of my things were in trash bags—it made me feel like garbage,” she tells SI Swimsuit. “I’ll never forget the day I got a suitcase because it changed how I felt about myself. At that moment, I promised myself that if I ever got any kind of power, I’d make sure no kid felt like garbage.”

Haddish, whose Peacock docuseries Tiffany Haddish Goes Off was released last November, is making it her mission to make her younger self proud, which is one of the reasons why she said “yes” to posing for the cover of the 2026 SI Swimsuit Issue.

“The little girl in me is in awe,” she added of the opportunity. “This is a brand that means something, so it is a huge accomplishment to be asked to be a part of it.”

At the same time, Haddish continues to find joy in prioritizing her relationship with herself (she married herself in an episode of the aforementioned Peacock series) while seeking out opportunities that allow her to grow both personally and professionally.

“The things that made me happy last year don’t necessarily make me happy this year,” she stated. “If you want to keep growing you have to constantly be asking, What makes me happy now? I want to keep growing, keep evolving, so I’ll keep doing that work.”

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