Haddish was announced as a 2026 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit' cover star on Tuesday, May 12
Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; James Macari/Sports Illustrated
NEED TO KNOW
- Tiffany Haddish revealed that she learned about her 2026 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover during a surprise at Paris Hilton’s house
- Haddish, 46, and Hilton, 45, have been friends for many years after meeting at a party
- “I love Paris. She’s a really great friend,” Haddish said of the pair’s friendship on Today
Tiffany Haddish is sharing how she learned about landing the 2026 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover.
The comedian, 46, revealed on Today on Tuesday, May 12, that her longtime friend Paris Hilton surprised her with the news at her house.
“Yes, I found out at Paris Hilton’s house,” Haddish told co-hosts Craig Melvin and Savannah Guthrie. “Basically, they wanted to surprise me and announce it to me. I had just finished doing a whole promo thing for my foundation, for [my] She Ready Foundation and Paris and Brooks [Nader], they surprised me.”
The Girls Trip star explained that Hilton, 45, surprised her with cake to commemorate the occasion. “They got me a cake and said, ‘You got the cover.’ And I didn’t believe it was real,” Haddish continued. “I love Paris. She’s a really great friend and I feel like every time I manifest something, I tell her what I want to do, it happens.”
Credit: James Macari/Sports Illustrated
Haddish shared a video of the surprise moment on her Instagram on May 12, just hours after the cover was revealed. The video shows the comedian being led into Hilton's house while blindfolded. "The moment I found out I got the cover of @si_swimsuit!! Thank you to @parishilton, @cadehudson22, and @brooksnader for celebrating this magical moment with me 💕✨👙" she wrote.
Hilton commented, writing, "So special to be a part of this! 😍 So proud of you 🔥🔥🔥," and Nader added, "THIS WAS UNREAL! Most deserving queen ever ever. @cadehudson22 nailed the surprise."
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Haddish and Hilton became friends after meeting at a party in the early 2000s, the comedian shared on Paris’ podcast, I Am Paris, in November 2024.
“I was trying to get into your section … but you were super sweet,” said Haddish. “I had started a big dance circle and I was dancing in the circle and you had came up and you were like, ‘Yeah, girl, yeah!’ And I was like, ‘Yeah!’”
Haddish said that the pair hit it off again soon after at a Harper’s Bazaar party. “You made me laugh so hard and I feel like that was the first time we really connected,” she recalled.
Haddish wore a striking orange and yellow bikini for her debut SI Swimsuit cover, shot by James Macari in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
The comedian said she’d manifested landing the cover “four of five years ago,” after the magazine followed her back on social media.
“I think they thought I was still joking. So I’d say little things here and there,” said Haddish. “And then I got some good management. I was like, ‘Call them for me. Tell them I want to.’ I’d been working really hard, in the gym … I’ve been practicing modeling … And so they called and they said, ‘OK.’ ”
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