Amid rumors of a model catfight, Kate Upton finally was due to join her fellow stars of this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue Wednesday in Miami for a promotional appearance at LIV at Fontainebleau.
Upton was conspicuously absent Tuesday night at the SI party in downtown Manhattan to celebrate the 2014 issue.
Buzz swirled that Upton, who was given the back cover of the magazine after being the front cover girl in 2012 and 2013, was upset at being the runner-up to this year’s trio of Chrissy Teigen, Nina Agdal and Lily Aldridge, and saw the back cover as a consolation prize.
Upton has appeared on Vogue covers and has a role in the upcoming movie “The Other Woman.”
But her rep insists Upton didn’t attend Tuesday’s party because she fell ill, not because she’s unhappy about bringing up the rear.
“She’s very happy,” the rep said.
But we are told that after landing her first movie role, Upton wants to focus further on her acting career and wants to be known as more than a model.
Still, it’s the first time a model has been on the back cover of the issue, and SI Swimsuit editor MJ Day explained, “We had been talking about multiple covers in one way or another for years now, and everyone decided that the 50th anniversary would be the time and place for it.”