Remi Bader Breaks Down in Tears After Finding Out She’s a “Sports Illustrated” “Swimsuit” Rookie — and So Does Her Mom
Remi Bader Breaks Down in Tears After Finding Out She’s a “Sports Illustrated” “Swimsuit” Rookie — and So Does Her Mom
Kimberlee SpeakmanTue, April 14, 2026 at 5:50 PM UTC
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Remi Bader and her mom, Edina BaderCredit: remibader/Instagram (2) -
Remi Bader revealed her emotional reaction online to being named one of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's 2026 Rookies of the Year
Her mother, Edina Bader, also had a tearful reaction after Remi shared the news with her in an Instagram video
Bader previously made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit runway debut in May 2025
Remi Bader is officially a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Rookie!
The influencer, who built a massive platform online for body inclusivity, shared her and her mother's reactions to finding out that she was named one of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's 2026 Rookies of the Year in a set of Instagram videos on Tuesday, April 14.
In one Instagram video, Bader, 30, could be seen on a computer screen being told that she got the title, to which she responded, “Wait, no, I didn't. What are you talking… wait are you lying? Wait, are you serious?”
When the person confirmed that it was true, Remi responded, “I feel like you're lying. She then broke down into tears and covered her face with her hand as the realization set in. “Oh my god, really?” she said before the video was cut off.
She captioned the video, "This is an account filled with tears at this point. 2026 @si_swimsuit ROOKIE!!!!!!!!"
She also shared the sweet reaction her mom, Edina Bader, had to the news in a follow-up video on Instagram. She could be seen asking her mom, “Guess what?” to which her mom responded, “What?” She then told her that she was “going to be in” Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.
This prompted her mother to turn to her and put a hand over her heart as she asked, “No, are you kidding me?” After confirming that it was true, her mother could be seen giving her a big hug before tearfully saying, “I'm so proud of you.”
Elsewhere in the video, an emotional Edina told her daughter, “... I'm just saying to you that I know that at the lowest point of your life, you said, ‘the one thing I want…' and this was it. So I'm really proud of you.”
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“Just because we've been through so much the past year and a half. This is huge,” Edina added, while wiping away her tears with a piece of tissue, as Remi could be heard laughing in the background.
Bader was featured in a sneak peek for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's 2026 issue shot in Montauk, N.Y. — which introduced the internet star alongside other SI Swim rookies, including Tunde, Hannah Berner and Erin Marley Klay.
She could be seen wearing a one-piece red bathing suit as she turned toward the sunset and showed off her bum. She threw a winning smile at the camera as she moved her right hand through her hair.
Remi Bader for Sports Illustrated SwimsuitCredit: Ben Watts/ Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
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Bader previously made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit runway debut in May 2025. For that event, she rocked a two-piece navy bathing suit with coordinating bandana print on the top and bottom and a cowgirl hat for that event. She shared the photos just two months after revealing that she underwent gastric bypass surgery (SADI-S) in fall 2023.
"The past two months since I opened up about my surgery and everything I've been through mentally and physically over the past year and a half, I have been feeling quite a range of emotions,” she wrote alongside images of the show.
"... I simply just stood for every girl or woman who's felt lost about where she belongs, but still chooses to show up and put herself out there no matter what. And for once, that was enough for me," she added.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
