Nikki Garcia’s Surprisingly Relatable Reason for Walking Away From a Baywatch Audition

Add this to the vault of great casting what-ifs: Nikki Garcia had a Baywatch audition lined up and then tapped out because of the wardrobe. Not the acting, not the schedule, not the ocean. The swimsuit.

Nikki Garcia explains why she backed out

On the Monday, April 27 episode of her SiriusXM podcast 'The Nikki and Brie Show,' Nikki, 42, told listeners she was supposed to audition for Baywatch and ultimately decided not to go through with it. Her logic was simple and very human: if she actually booked it, she knew she would not be comfortable living in that iconic red one-piece 24/7. She admitted she is not there yet with swimsuit confidence and tries to put herself in situations where she feels strongest instead.

For her, that confidence switch flips with the stuff she knows: WWE gear, years of walking to the ring, that kind of stage armor. Also worth noting: she hosted this episode solo while Brie was out, answering audience questions and getting candid about body image in the process.

The body-confidence part, minus the fluff

Nikki talked about how easy it is to slip into negative self-talk — and yes, she still catches herself doing it. She said it is tough to feel confident when social media is constantly dictating how everyone should look. Her advice was to tune that noise out, focus on yourself, and build real self-love. Once you like the person in the mirror, other opinions lose their grip.

'Hate to break it to you, but that’s how you look in person.'

That was a bit of tough love from Brie after Nikki disliked a photo. It stung, then clicked. Accepting reality — this is who I am — took the air out of the perfection chase and, in her words, helped her remember we are all beautiful in our own ways.

Quick Baywatch refresher (and where the new one is headed)

If you somehow dodged the 90s: Baywatch ran from 1989 to 2001 and followed California lifeguards doing hero work between a lot of slow-motion beach sprints. The uniform was the uniform — red trunks for the guys, red high-cut one-pieces for the women — and that look was the brand.

• Fox said in September 2025 that it was developing a reimagined Baywatch series.
• Stephen Amell is set to lead the new version.
• Brooks Nader, Noah Beck, and Shay Mitchell have all signed on as series regulars.
• Nikki never said her almost-audition was tied to this Fox project — just that she had a Baywatch audition and chose not to do it.

So yeah, she passed on Baywatch because of the suit. Honestly, fair. The red one-piece is non-negotiable with that franchise, and it is nice to hear someone at her level say out loud what plenty of people feel privately: if it is not going to make you feel powerful, it is not your job.