Alix Earle Reveals How Glen Powell Saved Her from Missing Her “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit ”Shoot in Africa

Michelle LeeThu, May 21, 2026 at 7:40 PM UTC

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(Left) Glen Powell; (Right) Alix Earle front the 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit' 2026 issue
Credit: Chad Salvador/Deadline via Getty; Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated -

Alix Earle appeared on Nylon's "Pre-Game with Alix Earle," where she talked about what happened behind the scenes of her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover shoot

The influencer made her print cover debut in this year's issue and was photographed in Africa

She revealed how actor Glen Powell helped her get to the shoot location after a star-studded trip to St. Barts back in January

Alix Earle's friendship with Glen Powell contributed to one of her biggest modeling jobs to date.

The 25-year-old TikToker and reality star appeared in a Nylonvideo called "Pre-Game with Alix Earle," during which she revealed how the actor played a part in helping her travel halfway across the world for her shoot in Botswana.

Earle rewound all the way to her star-studded friends' trip to St. Barts back in January. She and Powell — who were accompanied by Nina Dobrev, Miles Teller and his wife, Keleigh — happened to be hopping on the same flight from the island to Miami until it was delayed for hours.

Alix Earle and Glenn Powell with friends in St. Barts
Credit: Keleigh Teller/Instagram

They (along with Powell's dog) ended up hopping on a plane to Atlanta, where she was then able to hop on another plane to Johannesburg, South Africa. "I did research of like what other flights could I take to get to Botswana? There was just none for the next few days. So I was like panicking. So Glen was like, 'Okay, me, you and my dog can fly to Atlanta,' and then that's how we got there."

Powell was an emotional support system during their travels, too. "Our flight [experienced] so much turbulence. I was freaking out and so scared, but he was like, 'Don't worry,'" Earle said of the actor, who reassured her that he knew how to handle planes from his experience on Top Gun: Maverick.

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Alix Earle holding her 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit' issue
Credit: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty

Earle made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit print cover debut on May 12 (she fronted a digital cover in 2024). Photographed by Ruven Afanador in Okavango Delta, a massive inland delta situated in the heart of the Kalahari Desert, the Earle Meets World star leaned into the safari aesthetic in cheeky crochet bikinis.

Her fellow cover stars were Hilary Duff, Tiffany Haddish and Nicole Williams English.

On Today, she said, "It's a huge pinch-me moment. It has not settled in at all. I feel like I can't fathom holding this magazine and seeing myself on it. It's just so surreal."

The celebrations didn't stop after her cover was released. On May 14, she attended the issue's launch party in Times Square and then joined the cast at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Social Club on May 15.

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Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”