Q&A With SI Swimsuit Legend Gayle King

We caught up with the broadcast journalist in Hollywood, Fla., during the 60th anniversary legends photo shoot.

Gayle King was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. Dress by Gaurav Gupta. Shoes by Manolo Blahnik. Jewelry by Charlie Lapson and Sterling Forever. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Turning 60 has never looked so good. To celebrate the big milestone in style, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit called upon 27 “Legends”—women of all ages, sizes, tribes and backgrounds—who epitomize trailblazing influence and game-changing impact. 

From supermodel OGs who made their first splash on the magazine’s glossy pages in the 1970s and ’80s to stars newer to the SI Swimsuit sisterhood—the Legends symbolize diversity, inclusivity, empowerment and self-love.  

“The Legends hold the power to represent the collective us,” SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day says. “Each one has played a significant role in the brand’s last 10 years, holding important conversations that have helped shift societal perceptions and led to incredible change for women.” 

The Legends had plenty to say in their one-on-one interviews, held during a three-day SI Swimsuit event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., where photo shoots for the 60th anniversary issue were underway amidst a flurry of glam teams, wardrobe stylists and veteran fashion lensmen. The Legends were unfiltered, funny, wise, compassionate, profound, and at times, searingly honest—proving that a woman’s inner beauty is her most important superpower of all.   

See more from the Legends photo shoot here.

Gayle King, broadcast journalist and cohost of CBS Mornings, makes her SI Swimsuit debut in the 2024 issue as both a cover model and brand legend.

What does being an SI Swimsuit Legend mean to you?

“I always balk a little when you say ‘legend’—like L E G E N D. Because I certainly don’t see myself as that. I mean, when I was first asked, honest to God, I thought I was being Punk’d. I thought, somebody's playing a joke on me. To go from that to being called a Sports Illustrated [Swimsuit] Legend is so interesting. I said to MJ, ‘What makes me a Legend? How does that work?’ She proceeded to say, ‘Well, the job you do and the way you do your job. The confidence that you have at this particular stage in your life, you still really enjoy your job.’ I said, ‘Well, I'll take that.’

“But that’s not how I see myself. I was on a stage about a year ago, and Diana Ross was ahead of me, and they called her a legend. I go, ‘Well, now that makes sense.’ So when you say ‘legend,’ I was like, ‘Oh, no, no, stop, take it away.’ But I’m embracing all of this. I will say that. I love this experience. I’m embracing it all.”

Gayle King was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. Dress by Gaurav Gupta. Shoes by Manolo Blahnik. Jewelry by Charlie Lapson and Sterling Forever. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

View Gayle King’s Mexico photo gallery here. View her Legends photo gallery here.

Describe yourself in three words.

“Fun, considerate, intelligent.”

What do you love most about being a woman? 

“I always have these moments where I say, ‘I just love being a girl.’ You’ve heard this many times—that countries run better, companies run better. Things get done when women are in charge. Women are very collaborative, much more collaborative, I think, than men. I think they’re also more nurturing.

“There’s something about how the woman’s brain works, in terms of looking around corners and looking out for others in a way that men don't always do. It’s a small thing, but on Halloween, a woman who was in a position of power gave everybody in the company half the day off so they could go trick-or-treating. There have been men in charge, and no one had ever thought about that. It’s the little things like that. It’s a small thing, but it’s a big thing.” 

What do you love most about being yourself? 

“I really do think that I’m a good person. I actually like that about myself. Shelby [Copeland, King’s assistant and associate editor at Oprah Daily] and I had something happen while we were flying over here. There’s a mother getting on the plane as we were boarding. She has a baby strapped to her chest, and she’s taking a stroller apart. Because it’s a car seat in a stroller, she brings up this big, ginormous bag she’s struggling to fold. Think about this: taking the car seat out, folding up the stroller, and then putting the stroller in this big ass bag, like something you see at holiday time. 

“So, we’re in the gangway, and everybody’s trying to get on the plane. I see her struggling, and there are four guys behind me. Four guys, nobody said one thing. I actually thought a man was going to help her, and he didn’t. I said to Shelby, let’s help her. It held up the line, but I didn’t care. I could tell people were a little irritated, but I didn’t care about that either. Here’s a mother, the baby’s head has sort of fallen out of the sling, and she’s trying to rush and do it. I just thought, gosh guys, how can we all just walk by and not help this lady? How can we do that? 

“That happened to me before, too. In the airport, I saw a lady walking, she had a baby in the stroller and a baby on her chest. She was carrying all this stuff, walking by herself. I said, ‘Where are you going? Is somebody coming to help you?’ She said, ‘My husband is over there, I’m going to meet him.’ I said, ‘Well, I’ll push the stroller and I’ll walk with you.’ She was struggling, carrying so much stuff, I didn’t think anything about doing it. I think I’m good, I think I’m considerate of others. I do think that."

Gayle King was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. Dress by Gaurav Gupta. Shoes by Manolo Blahnik. Jewelry by Charlie Lapson and Sterling Forever. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

What excites you most about your life right now? 

“My son just got engaged. That’s the most exciting thing. I’m working with them on the wedding.”