‘Outer Banks’ Star Madison Bailey Soaks up the Sun in New Leopard-Print Snap

It’s been a big year for Madison Bailey. The actress has spent the past several months saying goodbye to ‘Outer Banks’, the Netflix series that made her a household name, and her social media has offered fans a laid-back look at life after the Pogues’ final adventure.

The North Carolina native, born in Kernersville, has played Kiara “Kie” Carrera across 50 episodes of the hit series since 2020. Along the way, she has built a huge online following, with TMZ reporting last year that she had 9 million Instagram followers.

Now Bailey has given those followers something new to talk about. A new photo of the 27-year-old surfaced on social media on October 3, showing her lounging in the sunshine in a leopard-print bikini, eyes closed and relaxing on a matching animal-print towel.

The snapshot has an easy, unposed feel. Bailey sits back on a lounge chair with green grass behind her, accessorizing simply with a delicate star pendant necklace. The warm lighting and the coordinated leopard print give the image a carefree summer mood, even as fall settles in.

Bailey’s sunny posts have become something of a signature. Back in April, she shared a photo in a bold black swimsuit, with fans flooding the comments with compliments almost immediately.

In June, she posted a beach carousel featuring a light blue triangle bikini with thick red piping, and that post had passed 279,500 likes within days. And during last summer’s trip to Puerto Rico, she paired a black bikini top with a leopard bandana in a set of photos captioned with a nod to taking things slow.

Her latest post continues that trend of breezy, sun-soaked images that her followers clearly love. Leopard print, in particular, seems to be a recurring favorite. The new photo arrives a few weeks after the end of an era. The fifth and final season of ‘Outer Banks’ premiered on Netflix on August 20, with all 10 hour-long episodes released at once, unlike season 4’s split release.

Kiara was at the heart of the final chapter. Netflix teased that after Chandler Groff killed his own son JJ in front of Kiara in the season 4 finale, she wasn’t going to let him get away with it, setting the stage for a revenge-driven last ride.

Netflix has released the trailer for ‘OUTER BANKS’ Season 5.

Streaming August 20. pic.twitter.com/VIRoZRwqh3

— Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) July 29, 2026

Bailey was joined by fellow series regulars Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, Jonathan Daviss, Carlacia Grant, Austin North, Drew Starkey, and Fiona Palomo. The season was filmed from June to December 2025.

While the main series has wrapped, the ‘Outer Banks’ universe may not be finished. Creator Josh Pate told Deadline in August that the team is working on a prequel script with Netflix, though no release date has been set.

Bailey is also moving on to new projects. Earlier this year, news circulated that she will star in Curtis Bryant’s ‘Baby, You’re a Star’, marking her next big step after the show that launched her career.

For now, she seems to be enjoying some well-earned downtime, and fans are happy to follow along. Her latest post is a reminder that, even with Kiara’s story complete, Bailey isn’t leaving the spotlight anytime soon.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!