Abstract Background Existing evidence concerning the relationship between daytime napping and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is inconsistent, and whether the effects of napping differ by body fat percentage (BFP) and C‐reactive protein (CRP) is unclear. We aimed to investigate the association between daytime napping frequency and T2D risk and whether such an association was modified by BFP and CRP. Methods We included 435 342 participants free of diabetes from the UK Biobank. Participants were categorized as nonnappers, occasional nappers, and frequent nappers based on napping frequency, and BFP/CRP was divided into quartiles. Cox proportional hazards models were used. Results During a median follow‐up of 9.2 years, 17 592 T2D cases occurred. Higher frequency of daytime napping was significantly associated with an increased risk of T2D. Compared with nonnappers, the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for occasional nappers and habitual nappers were 1.28 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.24–1.32) and 1.49 (95% CI: 1.41–1.57), respectively. There was a significant additive and multiplicative interaction (relative excess risk due to interaction [RERI] = 0.490, 95% CI 0.307–0.673; p for multiplicative interaction