By Michele Yeo
We live in divisive times. One needs to look no further than the recent transfer of power and newly chosen leadership in the United States as proof. And no, we’re not referring to the presidential election, we’re talking about the selection of this year’s Sexiest Man Alive by People. The magazine has chosen television actor turned big screen star turned acclaimed director John Krasinski as this year’s title holder, bringing previous Sexiest Man Alive Patrick Dempsey’s reign to an official end.
Krasinksi says the title came as a shock, telling People his reaction was “just immediate blackout, actually. Zero thoughts,” adding, “that’s not how I wake up, thinking, ‘Is this the day that I’ll be asked to be Sexiest Man Alive?’” The magazine made the announcement online at midnight and, in what’s become tradition, minutes later on television on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. It didn’t take long for keyboard kings and queens to weigh in on the choice and let me tell you, the internet is generally not pleased. Twitter (we still refuse to call it X) is far from a quiet place when it comes to reaction. You could say the reaction has been equivalent to one of Jim Halpert’s trademark “can you believe this shit?” glances directly into the camera in The Office.
“Only his wife thinks that” said one Twitter user. “How much did he pay for this?” asked another. “First Trump, now this” lamented another with another person claiming, “he looks like my friend’s dad.” Ouch. Indeed, John’s age (he’s 45) has come up a lot in the blowback. In the days and hours leading up to the official announcement the Twittersphere appeared convinced the title would go to Twisters and Top Gun: Maverick star Glen Powell – so much so that he was trending for nearly an entire day with fans predicting his win. Other hopefuls included Pedro Pascal, Jonathan Bailey and Barry Keoghan. Reaction hasn’t all been negative, though with several people conceding that John does have a good mix of looks, charm, and humour.
People magazine’s annual choice has usually been met with a mixed reaction. Brad Pitt’s win in 1995, Jude Law’s in 2004, Michael B. Jordan’s in 2020, and Paul Rudd’s in 2021 were probably the most positively received selections over the years. But never, has a Sexiest Man Alive choice inspired more ire than that of Blake Shelton’s in 2017. Reaction to the singer receiving the distinction was met with reaction so negative, it made the January 6th insurrection look positively measured in comparison.
People’s Sexiest Man Alive is a tradition that dates back to 1985 with the first title going to then up and coming superstar Mel Gibson (oof) and over the years has included names like, John F. Kennedy Jr., Keanu Reeves, Harrison Ford, Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, David Beckham, Adam Levine, Channing Tatum, Bradley Cooper, and Captain America himself, Chris Evans. The age of men have ranged from 29 (the aforementioned Mel Gibson) to Sean Connery who was 60 at the time of his reign. So no, Twitter, John Krasinksi is not too old! George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, and Richard Gere are repeat title holders with two wins each. The magazine has been criticized, and not unfairly, for its lack of diversity with only five choices: Denzel Washington, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Idris Elba, John Legend and Michael B. Jordan being the only men of colour to be awarded the title in its nearly 40-year history and indeed some of the online chatter this year has referred to Krasinski as “a basic white man choice.”
So yes, the world may be seriously divided about just who deserves a distinction as substantial and momentous as People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive, but honestly in this raging dumpster fire that has become our everyday reality with each day bringing a new fresh hell to fruition, a low stakes skirmish like debating the worth and legitimacy of an entertainment magazine’s contest based purely on looks and superficiality might be just what the doctor ordered.
