Gayle King Stuns as SI Swimsuit Cover Model at 69

Kate Upton, Gayle King and Hunter McGrady hold their Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue magazine covers

(Left to right) Kate Upton, Gayle King and Hunter McGrady show off their "Sports Illustrated" Swimsuit issue magazine covers on the set of "CBS Mornings."

Michele Crowe/CBS via Getty Images

Gayle King says when she was approached to pose for the 60th-anniversary Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, she thought it was a big joke.

The CBS Mornings coanchor and Oprah Daily editor at large, 69, told People magazine that she assumed she was “being punk’d.”

But the joke — or rather, the surprise — was on the Emmy Award-winning journalist. King learned this morning in an on-air reveal on the morning show that she didn’t just make the magazine, she landed one of the four solo covers, along with Hunter McGrady, Chrissy Teigen and Kate Upton.

“I’m on the cover?” King shrieked, clapping her hands excitedly. “They told me I was just going to be on the inside! It’s not a dummy cover? This is going to be on the newsstands? Oh my God! Oh my God!”

SURPRISE: Our very own @GayleKing is one of this year’s @SI_Swimsuit cover stars!

Gayle reacts to seeing her cover for the very first time: “I cannot get over it.” pic.twitter.com/soZqftmYnu
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) May 14, 2024

King is the latest 60-plus beauty gracing the cover of the swimsuit issue, joining model Maye Musk, supermodel Christie Brinkley and author-entrepreneur Martha Stewart, who at 81 last year was the oldest cover girl in franchise history.

SI Swimsuit website editor in chief MJ Day said that King’s cover, where she is pictured in a printed one-piece swimsuit and cover-up by Evarae, is further illustration that “women from all walks of life must not only be seen and heard, but also celebrated.” The CBS newswoman “represents a multifaceted woman of color, whose success, work ethic and humility impress us every day.”

When it comes to taking risks, King is on a roll. Last week, the broadcaster walked the steps of her first-ever Met Gala — fashion’s biggest night — in a lime-green one-shouldered Marchesa gown. “I am stepping out of my box,” she remarked.

As for the SI photo shoot in Cancun, King says she was made to feel so comfortable by the crew and photographer, Yu Tsai, she didn’t have time to be self-conscious, even eating a hamburger the night before.

“We all know that beauty comes from within, but I also know people see you first with their eyes,” she told People. “I think looking good and feeling good matters. But I also think when you feel good, you look good. I don’t have hang-ups about my age. I really don’t.”

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue hits newsstands May 17.

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Nancy Kerr is a senior writer and editor of features content for AARP. Previously, she was the editor of special projects for USA Today; a senior editor for the USA Weekend magazine; an assistant managing editor of digital content at The Washington Post and the director of women’s programming at America Online.