Thousands of Polaroids of former Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models “in various stages of undress” have gone missing, sparking panic.
The “vulnerable” images of models and celebrities disappeared during a failed reorganization of the magazine when it changed hands. They were last seen in New York.
The photos reportedly feature a host of A-listers, including: Kim Kardashian, Emily Ratajkowski, Gigi Hadid, Martha Stewart, Gayle King, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Irina Shayk, Megan Thee Stallion, Christie Brinkley, Chrissy Teigen, Kim Petras and Ashley Graham.
The snapshots that are not intended for public use are said to contain wardrobe errors, meaning that parts of the body are visible through the transparent clothing or are ‘hanging out’, which would normally be omitted from the final photos.
“We have no idea where the Polaroids are,” an insider said. Page Six“We don’t even know if they’re in New York.”
Thousands of Polaroids of former Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models, including Kim Kardashian ‘in various stages of undress’, have gone missing, causing panic
The source added that the models were convinced the Polaroids would only be seen by SI’s all-female editorial staff.
The photos are taken as part of ‘seating lists’ which record exactly what the models are wearing so that they can be reported on later.
They reportedly went missing, along with thousands of dollars worth of designer swimsuits that had been loaned to the outlet for photo shoots.
The accident is said to have occurred during an ownership transfer of Five Hour Energy drink billionaire Manoj Bhargava.
Bhargava took over SI and its swimsuit division last year, moving all of the magazine’s equipment and photography to his New York headquarters.
However, his tenure at SI came to an abrupt end after he fired several of the medium’s star writers and became embroiled in a series of nasty lawsuits with SI’s parent company.
The “vulnerable” images, which reportedly included former cover star Gigi Hadid, disappeared during a botched shakeup of the magazine when it changed hands
An insider said the magazine has “no idea” where the sensitive images could be. Pictured: Gayle King in her SI Swimsuit shoot
The Polaroids and clothing items reportedly disappeared on the return journey.
Sources claim there may be “hundreds” of photos missing of individual models who appeared in the magazine multiple times.
They added that SI Bhargava had asked for the items and promised to look into them, but had not been heard from since.
Bhargava took the helm after Sports Illustrated’s owners fired former CEO Ross Levinsohn, accusing the network of publishing AI-generated content, using photos of fake authors and creating fake profiles.
Arena Group Holdings, owner of the 79-year-old magazine, made the announcement after a board meeting “to improve the company’s operational efficiency and revenue.”
Levinsohn, 59, has been CEO and publisher of SI since 2019 and has led The Arena Group since 2020.
This year, Chrissy Teigen, Kate Upton, Hunter McGrady, Alix Earle, Ilhona Maher and Gayle King all graced the cover of the magazine’s swimsuit edition.
King recently revealed that many people reached out to her after she posed for the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
The images are part of ‘sit sheets’ used by magazines to document a model’s outfit so that it can be reported on later.
Because they are not for public use, it is said that the Polaroids contain parts of models that would not normally be printed.
The CBS Mornings co-host said that after she stripped down at age 69 for the final issue, which premiered in May, “so many women” told her the same thing.
“I’ve had so many women come up to me and say, ‘That was so brave,’” she told People at the Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program on Tuesday.
“Was it brave? I was just excited. That’s what it was for me,” she said. “To show you that it’s 69 and I feel really good.”