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This cover story appears in our Fall 2026 issue, on newsstands September 28th. Want us to come to your place? Update your membership here to get it delivered to your door. Want even more? Charli has included an exclusive, limited edition flexi-disc of her B-side “Playboy Bunny” for the first print run of Playboy’s fall issue only, limited to active and new subscribers. Subscribe now for access.
Charli XCX is moving faster than ever. She premiered her own feature called The Moment in January, quickly followed by Wuthering Heights, in which a soundtrack she scored while on tour became a character in its own right. Next up, her new album Music, Fashion, Film debuted in the summer as she hit her biggest stage yet—Lollapalooza.
But in the chaos of it all, Charli stopped for just long enough to shoot Playboy‘s Fall 2026 cover—fitting since her new album features a B-side called “Playboy Bunny.” She also took a brief pause for a vacation in Lake Como (her first in more than two years), where she chatted with fellow Playboy cover star (and The Moment co-star) Kylie Jenner about what makes a sexy photo, when she feels most alive, and posing in her underwear.
“To me, a sexy photo is something that captures someone’s true essence,” Charli told Kylie. “It’s not necessarily a perfect photo. It can be raw, messy, perhaps a little vulnerable at points. I think a sexy photo shows the truth.”
Charli’s frequent collaborator, Aidan Zamiri, shot Playboy‘s photos of her, clearly with this in mind. “I like working with people who know exactly what I’m thinking before I’ve even said anything, and vice versa,” she said of their work together. “I also like working with people who aren’t averse to risk.”
A risk indeed: Charli boarded a boat in the river Thames in her underwear for this shoot, which she told Kylie quite pleased the passersby. It’s sure to please you, too.
In both her conversation with Kylie and her video shoots for Playboy‘s social media, Charli opened up about life, love, and what she finds hot.
On body confidence, sexuality, and feeling sexy: “I feel quite comfortable in underwear. I feel sexy in underwear, and I feel sexy in a fully tailored suit. When I feel sexy, I feel confident. Sex, sexuality, and confidence are all very sacred things to me. If I could feel them on the max, all the time, then I would.”
On what a Playboy Bunny should never apologize for: “A Playboy Bunny should never apologize for anything.”
On her relaxed perspective on marriage with husband George Daniel: “We’re very kind of like casual and relaxed with the whole marriage thing…it means a lot to us, but also at the same time, it’s like we could completely do without it, and we kind of would be as equally in love if we weren’t married…it fits, but it’s not like a high pressure kind of a word for me.”
On a toxic relationship trait she finds attractive: “I think just like…being like a tiny bit avoidant. Yeah, I think that’s hot, unfortunately.”
Charli’s full conversation with Kylie and the full photo spread are only available to subscribers. Sign up here to view the full story.