Jonathan Bailey is the ‘Sexiest Man Alive,’ according to People magazine
By Choire Sicha, CNN
(CNN) — People Magazine, spurning millions of sexy dead people, has once again chosen a Sexiest Man Alive.
Quirkily, this title each year almost always goes to an actor. Tens of thousands of callous-handed firefighters and tender veterinarians each year are snubbed in favor of bankable Hollywood stars that, coincidentally, tend to bring attention to suffering magazines. (People Inc., which is owned by Barry Diller’s IAC, laid off 6 percent of its workforce last month.)
This year, the actor Jonathan Bailey was named to the honorary unpaid position. The “Wicked” and “Bridgerton” star is likely the first publicly out gay person to receive the award, unless there’s something we don’t know about some of honorees who preceded him. “It’s the honor of a lifetime,” Bailey told Jimmy Fallon.
The magazine did two covers, one with Bailey’s dog, Benson.
Here are answers to some other questions.
Do they have to eliminate the previous sexiest man each year?
It’s not required to rid society of the outgoing sexiest man. He is simply demoted in sexiness without fanfare. This year’s winner would have “big shoes to fill,” People magazine warned, and those shoes belong to 2024’s sexy fella, John Krasinski. (He is a size 12 US, according to Wikifeet.) Krasinski also has the least interesting yet very successful Hollywood career imaginable, but that doesn’t mean he should be exiled or worse. He can next be seen playing glamorous Paramount intellectual property character Jack Ryan, whom he’s played in an Amazon series for four seasons, in the sixth film of the franchise.
What are the criteria for being described as this sexy?
It’s not just appearance, the editors of People have said, mentioning shadily that “looks aren’t just what the candidates are judged by,” adding that they included Michael B. Jordan because of his political activism. So you can be sexy with an asterisk and feel bad forever.
How much does the award cost and/or pay?
Unknown, actually! Like a presidential library (approaching a billion dollars) or a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ($85,000), the price, if any, of being declared People’s Sexiest Man Alive may be extravagant, but we suspect the real toll is only spiritual. Andrea Lavinthal, the magazine’s Executive Director of Special Integrated Projects, recently said loudly that they do not pay the honoree … and that the honoree does not pay the magazine.
Are there other sexy men alive?
A few. The people also get to say who is sexy, and prior to the official announcement, the people’s choices are announced. They include men as variously sexy as the “sexiest new dad in sports,” who is Christian McCaffrey. The Sexiest Cat Dad title was won by Dave Franco.
Is the prize of being the sexiest man alive cursed?
Yes! Just like many other titles, such as the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and England’s “Duke of York,” this one also comes with a dark undercurrent. For instance, all of the people named Sexiest Man Alive are marked for death at a later date. Many have lived through years of war and terrorism. Most will also suffer from divorce, failed franchises, hair loss and sudden hair regrowth. Still, it’s nice to think that having once been named as extremely, extravagantly sexy must keep them warm on the coldest of nights.
Do you want to feel old?
Brad Pitt was first named sexiest man alive in 1995, the same year we got the phrase, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
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