Tiffany Haddish's 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit' Is Chef's Kiss

She’s ready for her close-up! Tiffany Haddish is the latest star to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. Photographed by James Macari in Loreto, Haddish stunned in a series of bold swimsuits that highlighted the results of the hard work she’s put into transforming her body and reclaiming her athleticism.

Tiffany Haddish had dreams of becoming a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover star.

The actress and comedian had long postponed her fitness goals due to her demanding comedy schedule and the aftermath of tearing both menisci in her knees while filming her 2019 comedy special Black Mitzvah. Although Haddish always believed she could one day appear in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, the dream once felt out of reach.

“I gained all this weight, and I kind of almost gave up all the way until I met [Olympic gold medalist] Al Joyner,” the star told PEOPLE in an interview published May 12. “He said he could help me heal my knees and get me back into shape. And as I was getting back into shape, I had put in the back of my mind that I’m a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model.”

Haddish, 46, continued, “Then it was like, ‘Wait a minute, I could be a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model. I just need to put that out there,'” she continues. “And so, I put it out there. And ta-dah.”

Now, Haddish is making history with her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover, becoming the first comedian to grace the esteemed magazine.

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The breathtaking images capture Haddish glowing against the sun-soaked beaches, dramatic rock formations, and crystal-blue waters of Loreto. She posed in a variety of colorful swimsuits from designers including Saint Laurent and Dolce&Gabbana, with her toned legs and sculpted physique on full display throughout the shoot.

The shoot helped her to regain confidence in her body.

Stripping down for the iconic photo spread also deepened Haddish’s connection with her body.

“It really got me in tune with listening to my body and being able to push it like I used to,” she reflected. “It made me so proud of me, because my body popped into alignment and did everything it was instructed to do.”

But it also presented a few challenges including a few wardrobe malfunctions.

Of course, the shoot came with a few unexpected challenges.

“I mean, there was a few times I scraped my knee on the lava rocks and I was bleeding. And I was like, ‘Modeling is a lot harder than I thought it was.'”

Haddish also admitted there were moments when she feared a wardrobe malfunction was inevitable.

“There was times where there were certain swimsuits I was wearing, and I thought, ‘Now this is going to be inappropriate,'” she shared. “Because you’re in the ocean. The ocean likes to take your clothes off. Oh, you know what else likes to pop out? My nipples,” Haddish quipped. “My nipples wanted to be in the photo shoot so bad. We were having a hard time keeping those in.”

Still, Haddish found confidence on set through positive affirmations and self-belief.

“In my mind, I’m telling myself I’m some kind of goddess,” she recalled. “I can touch the sun. I can do all these things. I’m amazing. I am the example of how to be better, how to grow. These are the things I was telling myself when we were taking these pictures.”

Now, the Girls Trip star hopes her journey inspires other women to embrace transformation and confidence at any age.

“I hope that they take away that you can transform, that we’re constantly transforming and that you can be and look like whatever you want,” she says. “I can be a swimsuit model and be over 30.”

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