Haley Kalil (née O'Brien; born August 6, 1992) is an American social media personality, model, and former beauty pageant contestant. In 2018, Kalil was featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue as a contestant in the first ever Sports IllustratedSwim Search. As one of the two winners of the competition, alongside Camille Kostek, she officially appeared in the 2019 edition as a rookie.
In 2013, while a senior in college, Haley competed in Miss Minnesota USA 2014 in Burnsville, Minnesota. She went on to be crowned the winner, and earned the right to represent Minnesota at Miss USA 2014 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[8][9] At Miss USA, Kalil placed within the top twenty contestants, before losing out the crown to Nia Sanchez of Nevada.[10][11] After completing her reign as Miss Minnesota USA, Kalil crowned Jessica Scheu as her successor, and retired from pageantry.[12]
In 2017, Kalil took part in the Sports IllustratedSwim Search. She advanced from her original application to one of the top 35, and later top fifteen contestants. As a member of the top fifteen, Kalil modeled in Miami to debut Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Swim and Active apparel lines.[15] She advanced to the top six, and was invited for a shoot in the 2018 issue as a model search contestant.[16]
In March 2018, it was announced that Kalil had been selected as one of the two winners of the competition, alongside Camille Kostek. She appeared as a rookie model in the 2019 edition,[17][18][19][20] and also appeared in the 2020[21] and 2021[22]Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue editions.
In 2018, Kalil was signed to Wilhelmina Models New York,[23] but stated in March 2023 that she would no longer work with modeling agencies citing negative experiences. [24]
In May 2024, Kalil (who goes by @haleyybaylee on social media)[25] gained attention for a TikTok video posted on the day of the 2024 Met Gala in which she lip-synced to an audio of the movie Marie Antoinette (2006) dressed in a "floral headdress with doll-like makeup" at the Met Gala saying "let them eat cake".[26] The video was cited for being "tone-deaf" and "dystopian" in contrast to the recent protests and arrests on university campuses related to the Gaza-Israel conflict.[27][28] She later apologized in a nine-minute-long video stating her intention was never to offend anyone.[29][30] However, her video served as a catalyst for Blockout 2024, a campaign to block celebrities' social media accounts based on their views regarding the conflict.[28]
Personal life
On July 8, 2015, Kalil married American football player Matt Kalil in a ceremony in Kauai, Hawaii. The following year, on July 8, they renewed their vows in a formal ceremony with family and friends, celebrating a year of marriage.[31][32] She filed for divorce on May 4, 2022.[1]