Gayle King Says Women Told Her She Was 'Brave' forSI SwimsuitCover: 'I Was Just Excited' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Gayle King.Photo:Sean Zanni/WireImage

Sean Zanni/WireImage

At the event, King spoke about her recentSports IllustratedSwimsuitcover, which was unveiled in May.

“Talk about stepping outside of your box,” she said. “Honest to God, when they called me, I thought I was being punked. I did. I thought I was being punked.”

King added that she was “really happy” to be included inside the iconic magazine but was “thrilled” when she discovered she’d been chosen for a solo cover.

Gayle King at Through Her Lens: The Tribeca CHANEL Women’s Filmmaker Program Luncheon.Sean Zanni/WireImage

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King previously told PEOPLE that gracing the 60th anniversary cover was one of the “highlights” of her career.

“It wasn’t something I dreamed about,” she said, “but it was one of the highlights of all the things I’ve done because I never thought this would be possible.”

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During the Tuesday, May 14 episode ofCBS Mornings,King was surprised with her cover reveal live on-air.Hunter McGradyandKate Upton— who also havesolo covers— presented King with the issue.

“Ahhh! I’m on the cover,” the journalist exclaimed. “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!”

“I’m floating, I’m floating, I can’t believe it,” she continued, noting she didn’t think she’d ever be on the cover. “Never in my wildest dreams! Never, ever, ever.”

source: people.com