It’s official – John Krasinski is People’s Sexiest Man Alive.

The title was awarded The office funny guy and If tuesday director The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. It started with a funny bit about how Colbert wished he had won and Krasinski consoled him.

After that, it was a typical, rather awkward conversation about how Krasinski was surprised to be chosen, how his wife – Emily Blunt – (laughter) reacted, and how he will never be as hot as previous title holders . Matthew McConaughey. He also used late-night airtime to plug his the upcoming Jack Ryan movie.

As the magazine’s two cover options were revealed on TV, the publication dropped its cover story — with another interview (“I think it’ll make me do more housework,” Krasinski joked) and lots of photos of him looking cute.

While the people’s choice is always top secret, Krasinski was the talk of the town a month ago may be the guy. Krasinski told Colbert that the only person he told him about besides his wife was Matt Damon, so maybe the former SMA was the leak.

It’s no surprise that social media is already lit up in the debate about the gender of the outlet’s choice. Although it is not a The Blake Shelton situationthere is more confusion as to why Krasinski now and not someone who was really on the rise like Glen Powell, who is one year oldor Adam Brody, who has an awakening. (Pedro Pascal, Jason Momoa, Charles Melton—social media is full of other suggestions.)

So how does the magazine determine its type? Here’s everything we know about the lawsuit, including that while “sexy” is in the title, it’s really sale. And how, when there is a debate about the winner, which is almost every time, sales increase.

How long has he been the sexiest man alive?

Since 1985 – almost 40 years – and it all started with Mel Gibson.

The controversial actor/director is technically the first holder of the title, 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 has the story on his website, but Gibson seemed a little disoriented — using a derogatory term, calling the movie he was promoting “shit,” 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 was given the interview file and turned it into a juicy story. She ended her piece with the line, “And then the sexiest man alive walks away, alone,” and her kicker became the cover of the magazine. The problem continued to sells 2 million copies — and the franchise was born.

Green told Slate that launching the franchise was “something I hate to have unleashed on the world.” She called “the very idea of ​​’Sexiest Man Alive’ … a false concept.” It’s not, “Do I want to run this guy?” It’s a very calculated feature that is all about selling magazines. I can’t believe people are falling for it.”

Who are the other sexiest men alive?

After Gibson, the magazine’s staff has chosen an SMA almost every year since St. Elsewhereit’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 black person was Denzel Washington (1996). The oldest living man was Sean Connery (1989), aged 59. One year there was the sexiest couple alive: Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford (1993).

In the 2000s, awarding the title became a playful competition between Pitt and Clooney’s friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. There were “campaign” jokes. In that era, Johnny Depp held the title twice (2003 and 2009) and McConaughey (2005) was so all-in (memorably taking the magazine’s “Sexy Skills Test”) that the publication decided that interviews are mandatory or a person would not do it. don’t be selected. The magazine also became serious and “Sexiest Man Alive” trademark.

The traditional parts continued into the 2010s: Chris Hemsworth, Channing Tatum, David Beckham, Ryan Reynolds. That changed slightly, with box office giant Dwayne Johnson a more unconventional choice as the first Samoan SMA – and certainly the most muscular. There was also plenty of reaction: Readers had thoughts about Shelton and him The voice friend Adam Levine as headliner. There was also some disappointment over Bradley Cooper being cast in 2011 when people fell for Ryan Gosling, but Cooper apparently went the extra mile by doing a lot of promotion for the magazine.

From 2019 – when John Legend was – to the 2020s, the picks are more than just eye candy, with the magazine devoting space to Michael B. Jordan (2020) and Chris Evanshis activism (2022). Nice guy Paul Rudd (2021) also had the title. Patrick Dempsey, the 2023 pick, has been a long time coming for the ’80s movie star.

Has anyone turned down the title?

That would be Gosling, who Apparently he said no more than once. John F. Kennedy Jr. declined to attend when he was appointed SMA in 1988, and Affleck interviewed his mother in his place in 2002.

Meanwhile, Evans was reportedly in talks to be the pick in 2020 and 2021, but it didn’t pan out. Blame it on him NSFW photo scandal for one of the failures.

What did People editors say about casting the hot guy?

The franchise has obviously evolved over time – and as the magazine’s editors have changed.

It was the late editor of People magazine, Pat Ryan, a woman, who turned it into a franchise, shrewdly targeting a predominantly female readership. Former editor Jim Gaines, who later took the reins from Ryan, told Slate, “Honestly, if it had been a male editor, I’m not sure it would have even happened.”

When the franchise was 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 the selection, then-publisher Larry Hackett revealed a few secrets during a 2010 ABC News special, 25 Years of Hotness: People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive.

“I think what makes ‘Sexy Man’ work so well is that it’s fun.” said Hackett. “So the decision we make is based on what we hear from the audience… Whose movie have you seen? Whose album did you buy? Whose TV show did you watch? How do you feel about these individuals?”

Hackett said they like “a mix of someone who is hot but well-known. Not too young, not too old and someone that, frankly, maybe we didn’t think about.”

He addedaccording to Bustle, “Sexy definitely has to do with someone being good-looking, and it has to do with a certain kind of romantic, flirtatious physical attractiveness that can go beyond just an academic appreciation of how they look.”

Said then editor-in-chief Dan Wakeford CNN in 2019, “We start thinking about who might be next year’s Sexiest Man Alive the day after the last one is published.”

He said they consider “everyone” to begin with. Research is being done, including focus groups. The magazine’s editors hold top secret meetings. When a subject is chosen, only about 10 employees know who it is, and they keep the story locked on a “secret server.”

Wakeford said choosing someone who was “good”, “good” and “nice” was important that year – when she switched to Legend. He also said that cover subjects “never get paid.” However, the cover guy gets as many copies of the issue as he wants.

He also said publicists pitch their clients to be on the cover — because it helps boost the star’s fame (“That headline will follow,” Wakeford said) — and, as a result, their bottom line. That’s why SMA agrees to promote the magazine – it’s a financial win for everyone.

A source told Slate that “Unlike Time’s Person of the Year, which is awarded, Sexiest Man Alive has to be accepted. Anyone who would do a photo shoot, sit for an interview, get a lot of press.”

“Every time everybody asks why he didn’t go with the obvious choice … it’s because that guy didn’t want to,” the former employee said.

Controversy is good for the bottom line

Again, the goal here is revenue. So all the arguing online about whether or not People made a good selection only helps the magazine’s bottom line.

“Usually when there’s a debate, that’s when we get big cover sales,” Wakeford said.

He added: “There will always be a bit of controversy.”

Is there only one hot man a year?

Not. The concept evolved from a single cover story for one guy to an issue full of different types of hot guys. Krasinski’s cover says there are “125 Men We Love” featured this year.

Now, the magazine often releases some of the selections ahead of time to build momentum. For example, earlier this week, Selena Gomez said that her boyfriend, Benny Blanco, was called “Mr. Sexy.”

Isn’t this concept dated?

It sure is – and there’s no shortage of people pointing it out. They also criticized the lack of diversity, including the lack of LGBTQ stars in Hollywood.

It’s in the same vein as beauty pageants and Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows – which people keep wondering why they keep going on… and yet they do.

Others see it as a nice, light break from the serious news.