Today’s Craig Melvin gets flirty with new very famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model – see who it is

Craig Melvin had the pleasure of announcing the new Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model on the Today show on Tuesday.

The TV anchor appeared to be very impressed with the star and her swimwear spread, enjoying a flirty moment with none other than Salma Hayek.

Craig and his co-host, Savannah Guthrie, unveiled Salma as one of the magazine’s 2025 cover girls, and she sat down with the duo to share her excitement over landing her first-ever cover for the publication.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit

“I still can’t believe it,” she told them. “I remember when I was young and hot, I used to look at this magazine and I wanted to see who was the new gorgeous model, the new girl of the moment, and it never crossed my mind that it could be me.

“My body is not necessarily the model type, and for it to happen at 58, it’s really shocking,” she added. “I had a very bad case of impostor syndrome.”

Salma went on to recall how she tried to “back out” of the spread after agreeing because “the bathing suits never fit me”.

“They sent me 200 bathing suits,” she revealed. “I tried more than 100, a lot of them needed to be altered.”

Salma then revealed that she took a suitcase filled with swimsuits to Mexico for the cover shoot, but “they lost the suitcase”.

“They had a small selection there, and that’s what I wore. You will see they don’t all fit perfectly,” she told Craig and Savannah.

After the camera panned to the gorgeous image of Salma on the cover in a bikini, Craig enjoyed a flirty moment and made it clear that he was a fan of the shoot.

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Referring to her apparently ill-fitting swimwear, Craig said: “I saw the pictures and they fit just fine.”

Speaking about Salma’s cover, MJ Day, editor in chief of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, called her “a force of nature as an actor, director, producer, and champion for women.”

“Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has always been about more than swimsuits and stunning imagery,” MJ continued.

© NBC

“It’s about creating a platform to capture moments that define our times, celebrating people who are shaping culture, and showcasing beauty on a world stage.”

Salma isn’t the only cover star as former LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne and Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, and model Lauren Chan are also cover girls this year.

“Every single woman included this year brings with her a unique and powerful reason for being featured in the issue,” MJ added.

“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.

“These women, along with our 34 other incredible models, have joined forces to carry the SI Swimsuit torch for 2025.”