“When I heard that I was going to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, I thought, ‘Oh, that’s pretty good, I’m going to be the oldest person I think ever on a cover of Sports Illustrated,’” Stewart told the publication. “And I don’t think about age very much, but I thought that this is kind of historic.”

Stewart debuted the cover on the “Today” show, divulging to Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb how this photo shoot came to fruition. She explained how she was approached in November 2022, just a couple of months ahead of the January shoot. “That was kind of a request that I’ve never had before,” Stewart said. “To be on the cover at my age was a challenge. And I think I met the challenge.”

At 81 years old, Stewart was slightly apprehensive at first but she explained to Guthrie and Kotb, that she agreed to this because she approaches her late-in-life ventures as opportunities to be “successfully living.” Stewart said, “I think all of us should think about good living, successfully living and not aging. The whole aging thing is so boring. You know what I mean?”

Stewart joins three other women who received a Sports Illustrated swimsuit 2023 cover, including actor Megan Fox, Grammy Award-winning artist Kim Petras and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Brooks Nader.