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Early in her career, Karol G had turned down an offer to appear on the cover of SoHo, a Colombian men’s magazine known for its semi and full nude photos. So, when Playboy called her to appear on our Spring 2026 cover, it was, perhaps, a long shot. 

Luckily, we caught the superstar at just the right moment. Her career is reaching new heights, she’s on the other side of a breakup, and she’s reevaluating what she wants. It wasn’t just time that was on our side, though. It was also Sofía Vergara.

“The only person I asked if I should do it or not was Sofía Vergara. I called her and told her, ‘If you tell me not to do it, I won’t,’” Karol told writer Paola Ramos in the interview for her cover shoot. 

In her infinite wisdom, Vergara essentially told Karol she’d be crazy not to do it.  “Mijita, with that body? When you get to this age, you tell yourself, ‘Fuck, why didn’t I pose that one time? I should have posed more with a thong!’” Karol remembered Vergara telling her. 

The actress told Karol to think about her “why” for the shoot. “She also said, ‘This moment will have a reason. What is going to be your reason?’” Karol said. “The truth is, my reason is a little bit about doing what I want to do; at the same time it’s a little bit about being rebellious, but not unjustified rebellion.”

With rumours constantly swirling about her, Karol said she can’t be concerned about every truth and untruth. All she can do is be true to herself, which includes honoring the power of her body.

“So why do I want to do this? Because I want to. Because I grew up inspired by how beautiful the women in the magazine looked, and now I have the opportunity to be that beautiful, sexy mamasota in the magazine,” she said. “Why not?”

Vergara did have one key bit of advice for Karol, though. Just one limitation:  “Don’t show your pussy!”

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