Twenty-two years after becoming the first solo black woman to grace the cover of "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit," Tyra Banks is the face of the 2019 issue.
The retired supermodel, 45, made her debut back in 1996 with model Valeria Mazza, followed by a solo shoot in 1997. For this year’s cover, photographed by Laretta Houston, Banks “smized” for the camera wearing a yellow Andi Bagus bikini with the stunning Great Exuma, Bahamas, as her backdrop.
"Since Tyra's first cover in 1996, she's transformed herself into nothing less than a mogul, a cultural force and a supernova of inspiration and empowerment," SI Swimsuit editor MJ Day told People. "She's kind of the Swimsuit Issue ethos come to life, everything we know this franchise can be."
Folks on Twitter were all about Banks’ SI return.
Olympic gold medalist Alex Morgan and SI Swimsuit model search winner Camille Kostek also earned solo covers for the 2019 issue.
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