Nikki Garcia had the most relatable reason for ultimately deciding to back out of her Baywatch audition.
“I had an audition for Baywatch. I ended up not doing it,” Nikki, 42, revealed to her listeners on the Monday, April 27, episode of her and sister Brie Garcia SiriusXM “The Nikki and Brie Show” podcast. “Because I knew that I would not be comfortable wearing — if I was to get it — I would not be comfortable wearing a red swimsuit 24/7.”
Nikki added, “I am not confident yet in a swimsuit, so I didn’t do it. What I’ve learned is I have to put myself in positions of, like, where I feel most confident.”
The pro wrestler pointed to her WWE costumes and years of experience walking into the ring as some of her most powerful moments.
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As fans of the original Baywatch know, the series ran from 1989 to 2001. It centered on the lives of California lifeguards, with the men iconically wearing red trunks while the women rocked sexy, red one piece swimsuits with a high-rise leg line as they ran up and down the beach — often, and iconically, in slow-motion.
In September 2025, Fox announced it is working on a reimagined version of the hit TV series. Stephen Amell is set to lead the revamped show, with Brooks Nader, Noah Beck and Shay Mitchell all securring regular roles.
While Nikki isn’t ready to slip into a red swimsuit for the show, she did get real about the highs and lows people can experience with “negative self-talk” and being confident in their bodies during a Q&A segment of the podcast, which she hosted solo on Monday during Brie’s absence.
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“That’s one that I feel like we’re always going to have to work on. I feel like it’s so easy to talk negative about ourselves,” Nikki said. “I still do it to myself.”
The Total Bellas alum admitted that it’s “really hard to be confident” these days since there’s “social media telling us how we should look.”
Nikki advised that her fans try to block out the online noise and focus on themselves.
“I think the main part of getting confidence is just working on yourself and self-love,” she continued. “The minute you love yourself you’re not going to care what people think.”
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Nikki also shared a funny piece of tough love she received from Brie that she still thinks about when she has body image issues.
“The best thing Brie said one time to me, there was a photo I didn’t like of myself and she goes, ‘Hate to break it to you, but that’s how you look in person,’” Nikki recalled with a laugh. “I was like, ‘Damn, bitch. OK.’ But then I was like, that is how I look in person. So what was I expecting to look different in the photo?”
Nikki revealed, “That kinda helped me of, [like], ‘This is who I am,’” adding that “we’re all beautiful in our own ways.”
