The title recipient is selected sexiest man alive by the media outlet’s editors every year. The list has been running sexiest man alive since 1990, and there have been some sexiest men selected in that time.
All Of The Sexiest Man Alive Title
See who has received the title of Sexiest over.
2022: Chris Evans
Like many others before him, Chris Evans accepted his 2022 Sexiest Man Alive award with humility.
He laughed and remarked, “This whole thing is hard to be interviewed about. The Captain America star was also ready for some good-natured mocking from his close friends, saying, “It feels like a weird type of humble bragging.”
2021: Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd said in PEOPLE’s 2021 Sexiest Man Alive cover story, “I do have an awareness, enough to realize that when people hear that I’d be picked for this, they would say, ‘What?'” However, he said, “I mean, I’m going to lean into it hard. I’m going to own this. I’m not going to try to be like, ‘Oh, I’m so modest.’ I’m buying business cards. But all of my friends will crush me, and I expect them to. And that’s why they’re my friends.
2020: Michael B. Jordan
Michael B. Jordan was named 2020’s Sexiest Man Alive and told PEOPLE that he was “shocked” and “honored” to receive the title.
“It’s a cool feeling,” he said. “You know, everybody always made that joke, like, ‘Mike, this is the one thing you’re probably not going to get.’ But it’s a good club to be a part of.”
2019: John Legend
John Legend was named the sexiest man alive in 2019, and he told PEOPLE that he was “excited” but also “a little scared” about the title.
“I was excited, but I’m also a little scared at the same time because it’s a lot of pressure,” he said. “Everyone’s going to be picking me apart to see if I deserve this title. But I’m excited and honored and grateful.”
2018: Idris Elba
Like those who came before him, the 2018 Sexiest Man Alive was humbled to learn he had won the title. Idris Elba tells PEOPLE, “I was like, Come on, no way. Really? I looked myself out in the mirror and thought, “Yeah, you are sort of sexy today,” but to be honest, it was just a nice feeling. It was a pleasant surprise — definitely an ego boost.
2017: Blake Shelton
The 2017 Sexiest Man Alive was surprising: country music star Blake Shelton. He told PEOPLE that he was “humbled” and “excited” to receive the honor.
“It’s amazing and it’s awesome, but at the same time, it doesn’t make sense,” he said. “I don’t know how I got this, but I’m going to take it!”
2016: Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was the sexiest man alive in 2016, and he told PEOPLE that he was “blown away” by the honor.
“I said, ‘That’s awesome.’ And then what went through my mind was just how cool and exciting it is,” he said. “And then I thought, ‘Wow, we’ve pretty much reached the pinnacle.’ I’m not quite too sure where we go from here. I’ve done it all, this is it.”
2015: David Beckham
David Beckham was the sexiest man alive in 2015, and he told PEOPLE that he was “honored” and “very pleased” to receive the title.
“It’s a huge honor and I’m very pleased,” he said. “I never thought I’d be considered the sexiest man alive, so I’m very happy.”
2014: Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth was the sexiest man alive in 2014, and he told PEOPLE that he was “absolutely” surprised to receive the title.
“It’s nice to be recognized for something other than just looks,” he said. “It’s a good feeling.”
2013: Adam Levine
Adam Levine was crowned PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive before getting married and appearing in his first feature film, an honor he took with a grain of salt. “You feel like you owe it to be kind of self-deprecating about it because it is an iconic thing but also silly,” he said. “It’s going to hit me when I’m constantly the butt of every joke every friend and a family member makes for the next 20 years of my life, but I’m ready to handle it.”
2012: Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum wasn’t sure he deserved the title when he was first named the sexiest man alive in 2012. “My first thought honestly was, ‘Y’all are messing with me,'” he told PEOPLE.
But he quickly realized that he was in good company. “I got to say, I think it’s cool that a guy who is sort of known for his shirtless body and being on the cover of magazines like this can actually have a sense of humor about it,” he said. “I think that’s kind of rare.”
2011: Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper was named the sexiest man alive in 2011, and he told PEOPLE that he was “very flattered” by the honor.
“It’s nice to be recognized for something other than just looks,” he said. “It’s a good feeling.”
2010: Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds, who is sexy and witty, was the first Canadian to be named the sexiest man alive. The actor jokingly said, “The hardest thing is going to be naturally working this title into a discussion with random strangers,” and added, “This provides my family a foothold to tease me for the rest of my life.”
2009: Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp, who has been named the sexiest man alive twice, joked about his second win, saying, “I would like to thank the committee for seeing past my looks.”
He added, “It’s a good thing I’m not 14 years old anymore. That would have been really awkward.”
2008: Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman was named the sexiest man alive in 2008, and he told PEOPLE that he was “surprised” and “very honored” to receive the title.
“It’s a nice feeling,” he said. “It’s a bit like winning an Oscar or something. It’s very flattering.”
2007: Matt Damon
After receiving numerous mentions over the years, Matt Damon—recently after the success of The Bourne Ultimatum—won the award. The Sexiest (and Humblest!) Man Alive praised the elderly suburban dad, saying, “You’ve given him the ego boost of a lifetime.”
2006: George Clooney
George Clooney is now the second famous person named PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive twice. I don’t go on that many dates, he acknowledged.
2005: Matthew McConaughey
What did Matthew McConaughey think when he was named the sexiest man alive? He jokingly told PEOPLE, “Wait until you see the parts I may accept after this.” You’ll notice my stomach protruding and gaining 22 pounds. It’ll be a whole new level of sexy!
2004: Jude Law
Jude Law, who was named the Sexiest Man Alive in 2004, was described by Naomi Watts as “the most beautiful man to have ever walked the world – an absolutely perfect oil painting.”
2002: Ben Affleck
When Ben Affleck appeared on the cover of PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive issue, his first relationship with Jennifer Lopez was already well underway. Why the fuss, you ask? The buzz on the street is that he’s the ideal man, gregarious, attractive, generous, and bright, as pal filmmaker Kevin Smith said to PEOPLE, “Chicks gravitate to him.”
2000: Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt, who received his second Sexiest Man Alive cover, was the man of the millennium. As a newlywed, he was faithful to his wife, Jennifer Aniston. They were “clearly madly in love,” a Snatch staff member from Pitt’s movie told PEOPLE.
1999: Richard Gere
Richard Gere was sexier at 50 than in his Pretty Woman days. “Richard has this amazing quality,” director Antoine Fuqua told PEOPLE. “He’s very masculine, but he also has a softness.”
1998: Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford didn’t believe he was all that when he was named the Sexiest Man Alive in 1998, although he had played hot space heroes (in the Star Wars trilogy) and sexy action heroes (Indiana Jones, anyone?). Ford, then 56, questioned PEOPLE, “Why this sudden outpouring for geezers?” I have a distant relationship with the mirror and never feel attractive.
1996: Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington, named PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive in 1996, confessed, “I don’t take myself too seriously. Maybe it’s because he’s not just another attractive face: As his co-star in Courage Under Fire, Regina Taylor, put it, “He has wit, style, and intelligence.”
1993: Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford
PEOPLE named no Sexiest Man Alive in 1994 or 1993. Instead, the Sexiest Couple Alive, Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford, were featured on the cover. Despite having supermodel and superstar careers, the couple (who parted a year later) was a laid-back pair. If Richard likes me without makeup and with my hair in a ponytail, then, hey, if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me, remarked Crawford.
1992: Nick Nolte
The rugged actor of Lorenzo’s Oil and The Prince of Tides, Nick Nolte, was hailed as a “big-lug Adonis with a heart of gold” and appeared on the cover of 1992’s Sexiest Man Alive due to his allure as a bad boy.
1991: Patrick Swayze
Patrick Swayze’s transformation from Dirty Dancing’s bad boy dancer to a Hollywood starring man was made possible by Ghost. He has a lovely, soft, loving heart and those southern manners, as his co-star Demi Moore put it, but he also has a fierce, animalistic physicality.
1990: Tom Cruise
This was the year when Top Gun made Tom Cruise a superstar. He exuded sex appeal and danger simultaneously – a lethal combination.
Tom Cruise was the Sexiest Man Alive and a movie office success. Valeria Golino, who played him in Rain Man, claimed that his best quality wasn’t his smile or toned chest. His admiration for her—”the way he looks with them. They’re alive.”—not his eyes’ color.
Conclusion
The sexiest man alive is a title held by some genuinely handsome and talented men over the years. The sexiest man alive is always a subject of debate, but there is no doubt that the men on this list are some of the sexiest men alive.