Tyra Banks Says SI Swim 60th Anniversary Legends Shoot Within ‘Top 5’ Days of Her Career

With the 2024 issue, the supermodel landed her fourth cover with the brand.

Tyra Banks was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. / Yu tsai/ Sports illustrated

SI Swimsuit legend Tyra Banks returned for her eight feature with the brand this year, and joined fellow franchise icons like Danielle Herrington, Christie Brinkley and Paulina Porizkova for an epic photo shoot with Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. Each of the 27 legendary women starred on one of three covers (in addition to four solo front pages of the 2024 issue that included Chrissy Teigen, Kate Upton, Gayle King and Hunter McGrady).

While on the red carpet of the 60th anniversary issue launch party at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York on May 16, Banks reflected on her SI Swimsuit legends experience, and gushed all about the publication and the incredible women it features.

Tyra Banks was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. Dress by MAC DUGGAL. Shoes by Black Suede Studio. Jewelry by Charlie Lapson. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

View her 60th anniversary SI Swimsuit gallery here.

“It was insane. I almost felt like I was dreaming a little bit. It’s probably top five days of my career just being around all that [energy], like future legends, icons, legendary amazingness,” the supermodel told us. “[SI Swimsuit to] me means life-changing. It changed my life and I knew that when I heard those words, ‘You’re on the cover,’ a long time ago, I knew that my life was going to change and it literally changed overnight.”

The Life-Size actress landed her first SI Swimsuit cover alongside Valeria Mazza in 1996. Then, the California native made history as the first Black woman to score a solo cover when she posed for the front of the ’97 issue. In 2019, the America’s Next Top Model host came out of retirement and practically broke the internet to pose for her third brand cover.