List of People Magazine Sexiest Man Alive: Why Some Winners Still Spark Debates

Honestly, the whole thing started as a total fluke. It’s 1985. A group of editors at People are sitting in a room, probably stressed, trying to figure out a cover story for Mel Gibson. Legend has it a staffer just blurted out, "Oh my God, he is the sexiest man alive!"

The phrase stuck.

Fast forward forty years and the list of People Magazine Sexiest Man Alive is basically a holiday tradition, right up there with pumpkin spice and arguing with your relatives. But if you look at the full roster, it’s not just a gallery of handsome faces. It’s a weirdly accurate time capsule of what Hollywood (and the public) thought was "hot" at any given moment.

The Men Who Started the Fire

Mel Gibson was the first. He was 29, rocking that 80s action-star vibe. But if you read the actual 1985 profile, it wasn’t even that nice! The writer basically described him as grumpy and hostile.

Then you had the TV era. Mark Harmon from St. Elsewhere took it in 1986, and Harry Hamlin followed in 1987. These weren't just movie stars; they were the guys in everyone’s living rooms every Tuesday night.

One of the biggest outliers? John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1988. He’s one of the few winners who wasn’t an actor or a professional entertainer. He was 28. He was American royalty. To this day, he remains one of the youngest guys to ever get the nod.

That Time the List Broke

If you’re looking through the list of People Magazine Sexiest Man Alive, you’ll notice a weird gap. 1994. There isn't a winner for 1994.

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Why? Nobody really knows. Some say the editors just couldn't decide. Others think they were trying to pivot the brand. They eventually "fixed" this in 2015 by retroactively naming Keanu Reeves the 1994 winner. Better late than never, I guess. Especially since 1994 was the year Speed came out.

Speaking of weird years: 1993.

Instead of a man, they picked a "Sexiest Couple." Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford. It was a peak 90s moment, but it felt like a cop-out to a lot of fans. Gere eventually got his own solo cover in 1999, so he’s technically a two-timer, depending on how you count the couple’s entry.

The Double-Dip Club

It is actually pretty hard to win this thing twice. Only a handful of guys have done it.

• Brad Pitt (1995 and 2000)
• George Clooney (1997 and 2006)
• Johnny Depp (2003 and 2009)

Richard Gere is often included in this group because of the '93/'99 split. Clooney is the one who jokes about it the most, recently suggesting AARP should start a "Sexiest Man Still Alive" category.

The Modern Era: Changing the Vibe

For a long time, the list of People Magazine Sexiest Man Alive was... well, very white. Denzel Washington broke that glass ceiling in 1996, becoming the first Black man to win. But it took a long time for the list to truly diversify.

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In recent years, the picks have shifted away from just "traditionally rugged" to guys who have a bit more personality or a specific "Internet Boyfriend" energy.

Think about Paul Rudd in 2021. The man is 52 and doesn't age. People lost their minds with joy because he’s actually nice. Then you have John Krasinski in 2024, the ultimate "hot dad" pick.

And then there's 2025. Jonathan Bailey.

The Bridgerton and Wicked star is the current titleholder. He's also the first openly gay man to be the primary solo pick for the main title. It’s a massive shift for a magazine that used to be pretty conservative with its choices. Bailey’s reaction was classic: he called it "completely absurd" while doing a photo shoot where he literally jumped into a freezing ocean.

Every Winner Since the Beginning

If you need the raw data, here is how the list of People Magazine Sexiest Man Alive actually looks. No fluff, just the names.

1985: Mel Gibson
1986: Mark Harmon
1987: Harry Hamlin
1988: John F. Kennedy Jr.
1989: Sean Connery (The oldest winner ever at 59)
1990: Tom Cruise
1991: Patrick Swayze
1992: Nick Nolte
1993: Richard Gere & Cindy Crawford (The couple year)
1994: Keanu Reeves (Retroactive)
1995: Brad Pitt
1996: Denzel Washington
1997: George Clooney
1998: Harrison Ford
1999: Richard Gere
2000: Brad Pitt
2001: Pierce Brosnan
2002: Ben Affleck
2003: Johnny Depp
2004: Jude Law
2005: Matthew McConaughey
2006: George Clooney
2007: Matt Damon
2008: Hugh Jackman
2009: Johnny Depp
2010: Ryan Reynolds
2011: Bradley Cooper
2012: Channing Tatum
2013: Adam Levine (The first singer/non-actor lead)
2014: Chris Hemsworth
2015: David Beckham
2016: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
2017: Blake Shelton
2018: Idris Elba
2019: John Legend
2020: Michael B. Jordan
2021: Paul Rudd
2022: Chris Evans
2023: Patrick Dempsey
2024: John Krasinski
2025: Jonathan Bailey

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Why This List Actually Matters

You might think it’s just a shallow popularity contest. And yeah, it kinda is. But it’s also a massive PR engine.

When a celeb is named Sexiest Man Alive, their "quote" (what they can charge for a movie) usually goes up. It’s a stamp of approval from the mainstream. It says, "This person is safe, liked, and very, very famous."

It also reflects our changing standards. Look at Sean Connery winning at 59 in 1989. Then look at Patrick Dempsey winning at 57 in 2023. We’re starting to appreciate the "silver fox" energy more than we did in the early 2000s, where everyone had to look like they were 24 and made of marble.

How the Selection Happens

People always ask: is there a vote? Sorta.

The editors at People keep a shortlist all year. They look at who has a big movie coming out in November (the timing is always strategic). They look at social media engagement. They even poll other female celebrities to see who they’re crushing on.

But ultimately? It’s a room full of editors making a gut call. They want someone who won’t cause a scandal but will sell a lot of magazines at the grocery store checkout line.

What to Do With This Info

If you're a trivia buff or just trying to win an argument at brunch, keep these three takeaways in mind. First, the "official" list is often a year behind the actual zeitgeist. Second, the 1994 Keanu Reeves "win" is the only time they’ve ever gone back to fix a mistake. Third, age is becoming less of a barrier; the average age of winners has been trending upward for the last decade.

To stay ahead of the next cycle, keep an eye on who is landing the big superhero roles or "Internet's Boyfriend" titles in early summer—that's usually where the next November cover star is born.