The 'CBS Mornings' host was shocked to learn that she appears on two covers of the iconic magazine.
Gayle King can officially add swimsuit model to her resume!
On Tuesday, the CBS Mornings host was surprised to learn that she appears as one of the four solo cover girls for the 60th anniversary of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue.
After presenting models Kate Upton and Hunter McGrady with their covers, Nate Burleson made the shocking reveal to his co-host.
"Kate and Hunter aren't the only cover stars in the room right now," as he and co-host Tony Dokoupil playfully looked around the set.
"She is right here," he said as Upton walked King's cover over to her.
King beamed with excitement.
"I'm on the cover," she exclaimed as she held the physical copy close to her heart. "They told me I was just going to be on the inside."
King, 69, was left speechless as she got a closer look at the cover -- in which she appears in a green and pink-printed swimsuit by EVARA with a matching cover up.
The award-winning journalist emotionally shared what the moment meant to her.
"You're talking to someone who, my grandmother said to me, 'Mother Nature was not as kind to you as she was to other little girls. Maybe you need to start wearing makeup like your friend Oprie (because me and Oprah were friends back then).' I never saw myself this way, and I still don't see myself this way. But when I looked at that, I said, 'You look damn good.'"
King didn't just appear on one cover. Dokoupil informed her that due to her legendary status, King also appears on alongside Martha Stewart (who made history as the oldest SI Swimsuit cover model), Christine Brinkley and Tyra Banks.
The Emmy-winning journalist was photographed by Yu Tsai in Mexico for the spread in which she appears in yellow, gold, pink, black, beige and green swimsuits while she strikes various poses.
Chrissy Teigen joins King, Upton and McGrady as she fourth solo cover star, making her return to the iconic magazine after almost a decade.
It's been a banner two weeks for King. On Sunday, the Oprah Daily editor revealed that her daughter, Kirby, welcomed a baby girl, officially making her a grandmother of two. And last week, King stepped out of her comfort zone as she attended the 2024 Met Gala.
King wore green dress designed by Marchesa as she walked the iconic steps during the fundraising event. Speaking to ET, King opened up about dressing for the biggest night in fashion.
"You're not Zendaya, you're not Jennifer Lopez but you just want to be appropriate and not look like a fool," King said. "I love floral, I love botanical, so I tried to incorporate it. They say the Met is where you do something you don't do. Green eyeshadow and pink...I'm stepping out of my box."
RELATED CONTENT:
