Thousands of Polaroids taken of former Sports Illustrated swimsuit models “in various states of undress” have gone missing, sparking panic.
The “vulnerable” images of models and celebrities disappeared amid a botched corporate reshuffle when the magazine changed hands and were last seen in New York.
The images reportedly feature a wide range of celebrities, 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 “not suitable for public consumption” snaps are said to include wardrobe malfunctions, meaning there are body parts visible through sheer or “hanging” clothing that would normally be omitted in the final images.
“We have no idea where the Polaroids are,” a source close to the incident said. Page six“We don’t even know if they’re in New York.”
Thousands of Polaroids taken of former Sports Illustrated swimsuit models, including Kim Kardashian “in various states of undress”, have gone missing, sparking panic.
The source added that the models believed the Polaroids would only be seen by SI’s all-female editorial staff.
Images are taken as part of “shoot sheets” that record exactly what the models are wearing so that you can report on them later.
They reportedly disappeared along with thousands of dollars worth of designer swimsuits loaned to the establishment for its photo shoots.
The accident allegedly occurred during a transfer of ownership from Five Hour energy drink billionaire Manoj Bhargava.
Bhargava took control of SI and its swimwear division last year and moved the magazine’s entire team and photography to its New York headquarters.
His tenure ended explosively, however, after he fired several of the outlet’s star writers and became embroiled in a series of thorny lawsuits with SI’s parent company.
The “vulnerable” images, which reportedly included former cover star Gigi Hadid, disappeared amid a botched corporate shakeup when the magazine changed hands.
A source close to the magazine said the magazine has “no idea” where the sensitive images could be. Pictured: Gayle King at her SI Swimsuit photo shoot
It was reported that it was during the return trip that the Polaroids and clothes went missing.
Sources claim that ‘hundreds’ of photos of individual models who have appeared in the magazine multiple times could be missing.
They added that SI asked Bhargava to return the items and he promised to look into it, but has since remained silent.
Bhargava took the helm after Sports Illustrated’s owners fired former chief executive Ross Levinsohn after the outlet was accused of publishing AI-generated text while using fake author photos and creating fake profiles.
Arena Group Holdings, owner of the 79-year-old publication, made the announcement after a board meeting “to improve the company’s operational efficiency and revenue.”
Levinsohn, 59, has served as SI’s CEO and publisher 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 have all graced the cover of the magazine’s swimsuit issue.
King recently revealed that many people reached out to her after she posed for the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue.
The images are part of “shoot sheets” that magazines use to document a model’s outfit for later reporting.
Since they are not for public consumption, Polaroids are said to feature parts of models that would not normally be printed.
The CBS Mornings co-host said that after she stripped off at age 69 for the recent issue, which aired in May, “a lot of women” told her the same thing.
“A lot of women came up to me and said, ‘That was so brave,'” she told People at Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program on Tuesday.
“Was it brave? I was excited. That’s what happened to me,” she said. “To show them that I’m 69 years old and I feel great.”
