Month: May 2025

Sports Illustrated has unveiled the cover models for its 2025 swimsuit issue. Actress Salma Hayek, 58, is one of four cover stars that are featured on the 61st swimsuit edition of the magazine, which also includes Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, social media star/gymnast Olivia Dunne, and model/entrepreneur Lauren Chan.

SI editor MJ Day in a statement: “Every single woman included this year brings with her a unique and powerful reason for being featured in the issue. Whether it’s about what she represents, the impact she’s making, or the change she’s driving in her own life and the world around her, these women show up with passion and purpose.” Day referred to Hayek as “a force of nature as an actor, director, producer, and champion for women. These women, along with our 34 other incredible models, have joined forces to carry the SI Swimsuit torch for 2025.”

Hayek told TODAY show hosts Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin on Tuesday morning that she was shocked to be invited to model for the iconic issue: “I still can’t believe it. I remember when I was young and hot. I used to look at this magazine… I wanted to see who was the new gorgeous model, the new girl of the moment, and it never crossed my mind that I could be on that cover, because it didn’t look like me, or my body’s not necessarily the model type, and I never thought that was a possibility, and for it to happen when I’m 58. It’s really shocking .. This is magical, this is like my land — I’m 58, I’m doing this. My generation, especially Mexican women, we thought we were going to be dismissed at 35. And I got so excited and I felt really free.”

Hayek also said in a the Sports Illustrated cover story: “I remember when I was young, a long, long time ago, I was always excited to see the Swimsuit Issue of Sports Illustrated, and [thinking] ‘Who’s going to be in it?’ Of course, I didn’t look like a model, so it never crossed my mind that one day I would be in it. If somebody had told me I was gonna be in it at 58, I would have sent them to the madhouse, but the world has changed, and that’s exciting.”

Hayek continued: “I feel so fortunate that I am part of a generation that has been able to really experience very tangible change. I could retire, but I don’t want to miss out on this time. I fought for it, you know, and I’ve been part of it, and I think it’s really remarkable that a magazine like Sports Illustrated [Swimsuit] says that it’s OK, maybe even cool, to be past 50 and still be able to feel not just sexy, but for me, to be free and not be self-conscious of your body like you have to hide .. I don’t see why, after a certain age, we have to retract ourselves from embracing life to the fullest.”

Dunne, 22, previously appeared in the SI swimsuit issue in 2023, when she modeled in Puerto Rico, and in 2024, when she was photographed in Portugal.   Chan, 33, previously modeled for the magazine in 2023 and 2024, in the Dominican Republic and Mexico; she told the publication: “I’ve always had a little bit of hope, but to have it actually happen is… I’m speechless.”

Chiles, 24, made her debut with this year’s shoot, sharing with the magazine: “The biggest thing I want people to take away [from the photo shoot] is understanding that my body is my body and that I have the ability to express it in millions of different ways and people are going to accept that. It’s really cool just being able to finally embrace my beauty in the way I can. So hopefully people can see the beauty inside of me and that they understand that this is a dream come true for me.”

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

A jury was selected Monday in the sex trafficking trial of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs in Manhattan federal court. Combs is accused of sexually assaulting, trafficking, and exploiting multiple women over a span of decades leading up to his arrest in September. Combs has been held at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest. Despite being offered a plea agreement during the final pre-trial proceedings, Combs declined the deal. If found guilty on all charges, he could face a life sentence.  The trial is expected to continue for approximately eight to ten weeks.

Judge Arun Subramanian delivered instructions to the jurors, comprised of eight men and four women, and turned the proceedings over to the lawyers for opening statements. Prosecutors have charged Combs, 55, with several serious offenses, including racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking through force, fraud, or coercion, and two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution-related purposes. Combs has entered a not guilty plea to all allegations.

The case will focus on testimonies from four women, one of whom is Combs’ former girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura. The other three women are expected to testify under the protection of anonymity. Prosecutors alleged in their opening statement that Combs used his fame and power to run a criminal enterprise that facilitated his “freak offs,” drug-fueled orgies involving paid sex workers. He allegedly used violence and coercion to force the participation of victims in the freak offs, including Cassie.

In his defense, Combs has denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that all sexual encounters were consensual. His attorney, Marc Agnifilo, argued that Combs was simply engaged in consensual activities within the swinger community, rejecting any claims of coercion or abuse. In its opening statement, Combs’ defense admitted that while he was jealous and occasionally violent, Combs’ alleged victims were all willing participants.

The prosecution’s first witness was Israel Florez, a Los Angeles police officer, who worked at the hotel in LA’s Century City area where the 2016 security tape of Combs and his then-girlfriend Ventura came from.  Testimony ended on Day 1 of the trial, after the cross-examination of male escort Daniel Phillip by defense attorney Xavier Donaldson; Phillip will return to continue cross-examination on Tuesday. In addition, Cassie Ventura is expected to be the next witness called later Tuesday morning to testify for the prosecution.

Editorial credit: Sky Cinema / Shutterstock.com