Kate Upton Isn't In the 2016 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

Kate Upton was one of the main attractions for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue from 2012 – 2014, but she hasn’t appeared in the 2015 or 2016 editions of the annual publication. Seems odd, yes?

In 2011, Upton made her SI Swimsuit debut and was named Rookie of the Year. She then appeared on the covers of the 2012 and 2013 editions of the Swimsuit Issue. In 2014 she was again featured as Nina Agdal, Lily Aldridge and Chrissy Teigen shared the cover of the 50th Anniversary Issue. Since then, nothing.

Upton was arguably one of the most popular SI swim models of the 21st century. She even landed a regular Sports Illustrated cover in 2013, alongside her family members, B.J. and Justin Upton. Heck, when you click the search function on the SI Swim website, she’s the first automatically generated result.

So whatever happened to Kate Upton? She still pops up from time to time at sporting events – like last night’s NBA All-Star Game – with boyfriend Justin Verlander. IMDB says he has two movies coming out in 2016. So has Upton decided she’s too big for Sports Illustrated? Perhaps she’s put a price on her participation that Sports Illustrated can’t or won’t match? Or could it be something more nefarious? Only Upton and SI know for sure.