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People named Mel Gibson its first Sexiest Man Alive in 1985. The selections have since moved through decades of actors, musicians and other public figures, with a few unusual years along the way. The title is People’s editorial choice—not a measurable or universal ranking—and the list below follows the magazine’s cover history through its 2025 winner, Jonathan Bailey.
How People’s Sexiest Man Alive feature began
One account of the feature’s origin comes from former People executive editor Cutler Durkee, recalling the moment in 1985 when colleagues were discussing Mel Gibson. As quoted in Now To Love’s 2025 retrospective, Durkee said, “Everyone loved Mel Gibson at that moment … and someone pretty much jokingly blurts out, ‘the sexiest man alive,’ ” The retrospective notes that accounts of the origin vary, so this is best understood as one recollection, not a definitive institutional record.
People’s cover archive is the clearest record of the magazine’s cover selections and imagery. The year-by-year list below draws on that archive and the retrospective, while marking the years that do not fit a straightforward solo-winner sequence.
People’s Sexiest Man Alive winners, by year
Each name is paired with a brief public-career reference to situate the selection in its era. The archive is a cover-history reference, not a claim that every person’s appearance or career has been reassessed today.
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| Year | Selection | Then-and-now context |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Mel Gibson | The first selection, recalled in the origin account above. |
| 1986 | Mark Harmon | An early entry in the archive’s annual sequence. |
| 1987 | Harry Hamlin | An early entry in the archive’s annual sequence. |
| 1988 | John F. Kennedy Jr. | An early entry in the archive’s annual sequence. |
| 1989 | Sean Connery | An early entry in the archive’s annual sequence. |
| 1990 | Tom Cruise | An early entry in the archive’s annual sequence. |
| 1991 | Patrick Swayze | An early entry in the archive’s annual sequence. |
| 1992 | Nick Nolte | An early entry in the archive’s annual sequence. |
| 1993 | Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford | They appeared as the Sexiest Couple, not as a solo Sexiest Man selection. |
| 1994 | No original selection | Keanu Reeves was later given the designation retrospectively; it was not an original 1994 cover or contemporaneous announcement. |
| 1995 | Brad Pitt | His first of two selections; he returned in 2000. |
| 1996 | Denzel Washington | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 1997 | George Clooney | His first of two selections; he returned in 2006. |
| 1998 | Harrison Ford | Ford told People, “I never feel sexy. I have a distant relationship with the mirror.” |
| 1999 | Richard Gere | His solo selection followed the 1993 cover featuring him and Cindy Crawford as a couple. |
| 2000 | Brad Pitt | His second selection. |
| 2001 | Pierce Brosnan | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2002 | Ben Affleck | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2003 | Johnny Depp | His first of two selections; he returned in 2009. |
| 2004 | Jude Law | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2005 | Matthew McConaughey | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2006 | George Clooney | His second selection. |
| 2007 | Matt Damon | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2008 | Hugh Jackman | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2009 | Johnny Depp | His second selection. |
| 2010 | Ryan Reynolds | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2011 | Bradley Cooper | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2012 | Channing Tatum | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2013 | Adam Levine | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2014 | Chris Hemsworth | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2015 | David Beckham | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2016 | Dwayne Johnson | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2017 | Blake Shelton | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2018 | Idris Elba | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2019 | John Legend | Named in the archive’s year-by-year cover record. |
| 2020 | Michael B. Jordan | Named in the recent sequence documented by the retrospective. |
| 2021 | Paul Rudd | Named in the recent sequence documented by the retrospective. |
| 2022 | Chris Evans | Named in the recent sequence documented by the retrospective. |
| 2023 | Patrick Dempsey | Named in the recent sequence documented by the retrospective. |
| 2024 | John Krasinski | He joked to People, “I think it’s going to make me do more household chores,” as reported by CBS/AP. |
| 2025 | Jonathan Bailey | His selection was announced on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Recent work includes Wicked, Bridgerton, Fellow Travelers and Jurassic World Rebirth. |
Why 1993 and 1994 need a qualification
The roster is not a perfectly uninterrupted run of one man chosen each year. People’s 1993 cover featured Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford as the Sexiest Couple. There was no original Sexiest Man Alive selection in 1994. The later Reeves attribution is retrospective: the 2025 account says editorial director Jess Cagle gave him the title in 2015 for 1994. That distinction matters if you are following cover dates rather than later editorial references.
Jonathan Bailey’s 2025 selection
The Associated Press reported on November 4, 2025, that Bailey succeeded 2024 winner John Krasinski. Speaking to People about the honor, Bailey said, “Obviously, I’m incredibly flattered. And it’s completely absurd.” AP identified his recent screen work in Wicked, Bridgerton, the Emmy-nominated Fellow Travelers and Jurassic World Rebirth.
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AP also reported that Bailey founded The Shameless Fund, which supports LGBTQ+ organizations. In that context, Bailey said, “I know the LGBT sector is under immense threat at the moment,” a remark about his support work rather than a measured finding about the award.
The latest confirmed winner in the sources available here is Bailey for 2025. People’s archive includes coverage of a 2026 readers’ poll, but a poll is not confirmation of the annual title selection; no 2026 winner is established by the cited sources.
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How to read the list—and its cover images
The sequence is useful as a record of People’s editorial choices and the magazine’s cover history. It is not an objective attractiveness scale, a survey result or evidence of a formal public vote. For the actual cover images and archive captions, use People’s Sexiest Man Alive cover archive; a retrospective list is helpful for reading the chronology, especially where a year needs explanation.
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