Swimsuit

Suni Lee’s Gorgeous Hair Transformation Has Us Ready to Call the Salon

The decorated Olympian and 2025 SI Swimsuit model changed things up in a big way this week.

Allie Hayes

Suni Lee was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by bond-eye.
Suni Lee was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by bond-eye. / Ben Horton/Sports Illustrated

Suni Lee is now a blonde. We repeat: SUNI LEE IS NOW A BLONDE!

The Olympic medalist and 2025 SI Swimsuit model—who joined the brand for the first time this year with a breathtaking beachy feature in Boca Raton, Fla.—shocked fans on Friday after sharing the results of a recent trip to the salon. The final look was a massive change, as Lee’s hair went from jet-black to golden.

But before we show you the video, be warned: it’s going to make you want to call your hair stylist immediately.

In the clip originally shared on Lee’s TikTok, the athlete was seated in a salon chair while looking coyly at the camera. After a few seconds, Lee smiled and put her hand over the lens before removing it to reveal her new hairdo. The shade was the perfect autumn blonde, with lighter shades blending up into her darker roots for a gorgeous color melt moment.

“guys wtf did i just do 😭😹,” she jokingly asked her followers in the caption.

And you better believe many of her famous friends and loyal followers came to answer that inquiry immediately, showering the superstar in plenty of love, compliments and heart-eye emojis in the comment section:

“You’re so 🤩,” fellow SI Swimsuit model and 2025 cover girl Olivia Dunne wrote.

“From 10/10 to 10/10,” one fan joked.

“Babeeee I just threw my phone. YES,” Arielle Chambers exclaimed.

“GIRL WHAT YOU DID ATE DOWNNNN😍😍,” another commenter added.

To say Lee has had an exciting summer would absolutely be an understatement. As mentioned above, the Olympian officially joined the SI Swimsuit family earlier this year with her debut photo shoot in the Sunshine State. She looked like a natural in the sun-soaked photos by Ben Horton featured in the 2025 issue, which hit newsstands back in May.

And just this past month, Lee joined Taylor Swift’s fiancé (who we’ve also heard plays football?!) Travis Kelce for his “Tru Color” collaboration with popular clothing brand American Eagle, which featured several stylish athletes modeling the pieces. Lee sported multiple cozy-looking items for the campaign, which evoked a cool and classic collegiate vibe.

Of the incredible group chosen for the collab, Kelce wrote in a note featured on the brand’s website, “I’m inspired by where I come from and the people around me. That’s why we chose six incredible athletes—Anna [Frey], Azzi [Fudd], Drew [Allar], Kiyan [Anthony], Suni, and Jeremiah [Smith]—who stay true to themselves while changing the game. They perfectly represent this collaboration.”

You can shop the collaboration here, and we promise that the laid-back pieces will go with any hair color—just in case you’re still debating calling your stylist for a change (do it! Do it!).

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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.

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