It’s official: John Krasinski is the sexiest man alive.
The title was awarded The office funny guy and If director on Tuesday The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. It started with a funny bit about how Colbert wished he had won and Krasinski comforted him.
Then came the typical awkward conversation about how Krasinski was surprised he was picked, how his wife – Emily Blunt – reacted (laughing) and how he will never be as sexy as previous defending champions like Matthew McConaughey. He also used the late night airtime to tune in for his upcoming Jack Ryan movie.
When the magazine’s two cover options were revealed on TV, the publication dropped its cover story — with another interview (“I think it will make me do more house chores,” Krasinski joked) and plenty of photos of him looking cute.
Although People’s choice is always top secret, there were rumors a month ago that Krasinski could be the man. Krasinski told Colbert that the only person he told besides his wife was Matt Damon, so maybe that former SMA was the leak.
Unsurprisingly, social media is already abuzz with the outlet’s sexy choice. While it’s not a Blake Shelton situation, there is more confusion as to why Krasinski is now and not someone who is really on the rise like Glen Powell, who is in a year, or Adam Brody, who is having a revival. (Pedro Pascal, Jason Momoa, Charles Melton – social media is full of other suggestions.)
So how does the magazine determine their man? Here’s everything we know about the process, including that even though “sexy” is in the title, it’s actually about sale. And how when there is a debate about the winner, which there is almost every time, sales go up.
How long has the sexiest man in the world been around?
Since 1985 – almost 40 years – and it all started with Mel Gibson.
The controversial actor/director is technically the first defending champion, but it wasn’t planned that way. A People reporter interviewed the then-rising star on the set of Mad Max beyond Thunderdome. People no longer have the story on their website, but Gibson sounded a bit unhinged – he used a derogatory term and called the movie he was promoting “a piece of shit” while telling the reporter he “didn’t want to do this interview.” . “drinking and smoking,” according to a 2014 Slate story about the history of the sexiest man alive.
Former People staff writer Michelle Green got the interview file and turned it into a juicy story. She ended her piece with the line, “And then the sexiest man alive strolls away, alone,” and her kicker became the cover of the magazine. The publication sold 2 million copies – and the franchise was born.
Green told Slate that launching the franchise is “something I hate releasing into the world.” She called “the whole idea of a ‘sexiest man alive’… a false concept. It’s not, “Do I want to fuck this guy?” It is a very calculated function that revolves around selling magazines. I can’t believe people fall for that.”
Who are the other sexiest men in the world?
After Gibson, the magazine staff selected an SMA almost every year, starting with St. Elsewhere‘s Mark Harmon and then LA law star Harry Hamlin. Others from that era were also white straight men: Patrick Swayze, Harrison Ford, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Nick Nolte.
The first person of color was Denzel Washington (1996). The oldest sexiest man in the world was Sean Connery (1989) at the age of 59. For a year there was a sexiest couple in the world: Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford (1993).
In the 2000s, winning the title became a playful competition between friends Pitt and Clooney, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Jokes were made about ‘campaigning’. At the time, Johnny Depp held the title twice (2003 and 2009), and McConaughey (2005) was so all-in (he memorably took the magazine’s “Sexy Aptitude Test”) that the publication decided interviews were mandatory , otherwise someone wouldn’t do that. is not selected. The magazine also got serious and trademarked the “Sexiest Man Alive.”
The traditional hunks continued into the 2010s: Chris Hemsworth, Channing Tatum, David Beckham, Ryan Reynolds. That changed somewhat when box office giant Dwayne Johnson was a more non-traditional choice as the first Samoan SMA – and certainly the most muscular. There was also a lot of reaction: readers had thoughts about Shelton and his The voice friend Adam Levine as titleholders. There was also disappointment over Bradley Cooper being picked in 2011 when people had chosen Ryan Gosling, but Cooper reportedly went the extra mile by heavily promoting the magazine.
From 2019 – when it was still John Legend – into the 2020s, the choices are more than just eye candy, with the magazine devoting space to the activism of Michael B. Jordan (2020) and Chris Evans (2022). Nice guy Paul Rudd (2021) also had the title. Patrick Dempsey, the 2023 pick, was a long time coming for the ’80s movie star.
Krasinski has two different sexy covers. (People via Instagram)
Did anyone reject the title?
That would be Gosling, who reportedly said no several times. John F. Kennedy Jr. declined to participate when he was appointed SMA in 1988, and Affleck had his mother interviewed in his place in 2002.
Meanwhile, Evans was reportedly in talks to be the pick in 2020 and 2021, but that didn’t materialize. Blame his NSFW photo scandal for one of the setbacks.
What did the People editors say about selecting the sexy man?
The franchise has clearly evolved over time – and as the magazine’s editorial staff changed.
The late editor of People magazine, Pat Ryan, a woman, was the one who turned it into a franchise, wisely targeting its predominantly female readership. Former editor Jim Gaines, who later took over from Ryan, told Slate, “Honestly, if it had been a male editor, I’m not sure it would have happened at all.”
When the franchise was first born, there was no set time of year when the problem occurred. Now it’s November and the magazine is starting its countdown months early to help maximize sales.
As for making the selection, then-editor-in-chief Larry Hackett revealed some secrets during the 2010 ABC News special: 25 Years of Sexy: People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive.
“I think what makes ‘sexy man’ so good is that it’s fun,” Hackett said. “So the decision we make is based on what we hear from the audience. … Whose movie did you see? Whose record did you buy? Whose television show did you see? What do you think about these individuals?”
Hackett said they like “a mix of someone hot but known. Not too young, not too old and someone we honestly might not have thought of yet.”
He added, according to Bustle, “Sexy definitely has to do with someone being good looking and having a certain kind of romantic, flirty physical appeal that goes beyond just the academic appreciation of how they look.”
Then-editor-in-chief Dan Wakeford told CNN in 2019, “We start thinking about who could be next year’s sexiest man the day after the last one is published.”
He said they consider “everyone” to start with. Research is being conducted, including focus groups. The magazine editors hold top secret meetings. When a topic is chosen, only about ten staffers in total know who it is and they keep the story locked on a ‘secret server’.
Wakeford said it was important that year to pick someone who was “nice,” “good” and “nice” – when it went to Legend. He also said that cover topics “never get paid.” However, the cover man gets as many copies of the issue as he wants.
He also said that publicists pitch their clients for a cover appearance — because it increases the star’s fame (“This title will follow them,” Wakeford said) — and, as a result, their bottom line. That’s why the SMA agrees to promote the magazine: it’s a financial win-win for everyone.
A source told Slate that “Unlike Time’s Person of the Year award, Sexiest Man has to be accepted. Whoever it is, does a photo shoot, sits for an interview, does a lot of press.”
“Every time everyone wonders why they didn’t choose the obvious choice, it’s because that guy didn’t want to do it,” the former employee said.
Controversy is good for the bottom line
Again, the goal here is revenue. So all the online bickering about whether or not People made a good selection only adds to the magazine’s bottom line.
“When there’s a debate, we usually get big turnover sales,” Wakeford said.
He added: “There will always be a bit of controversy.”
Is there only one sexy man a year?
No. The concept evolved from a single cover story about one man to an issue full of different types of sexy men. Krasinski’s cover notes that this year it will feature “125 Men We Love.”
Now the magazine often rolls out some selections in advance to build momentum. For example, earlier this week, Selena Gomez shared that her boyfriend, Benny Blanco, was called a “sexy gentleman.”
Isn’t this concept dated?
That’s certainly true – and there’s no shortage of people pointing that out. They have also criticized the lack of diversity, including the lack of LGBTQ Hollywood stars.
It’s in the same vein as beauty pageants and Victoria’s Secret fashion shows – where people are left wondering why they continue… and yet they do.
Others see it as a fun, light break from serious news.
