5 Fun Revelations from the PEOPLE VIP Sexiest Man Alive Editor Chat (Including the Sexy Guy Who Gifted Our Editors Crates of Wine!)
5 Fun Revelations from the PEOPLE VIP Sexiest Man Alive Editor Chat (Including the Sexy Guy Who Gifted Our Editors Crates of Wine!)
Lindsay Kimble, Lily BrownSat, October 24, 2026 at 1:01 AM UTC
0
From left: Ana Calderone, Charlotte Triggs and Elizabeth SporkinCredit: People/Youtube -
PEOPLE Editor-in-Chief and General Manager Charlotte Triggs and former PEOPLE Executive Editor Elizabeth Sporkin discussed the secrets of choosing PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive in a PEOPLE VIP Live Chat on Oct. 22, moderated by Senior Editor of Special Integrated Projects Ana Calderone
The Sexiest Man Alive franchise goes back to 1985
“Our cover star is epic,” Triggs teased of the next titleholder
We’re keeping things hot at PEOPLE as we prepare to name a new Sexiest Man Alive.
PEOPLE’s Editor-in-Chief and General Manager Charlotte Triggs was joined by former PEOPLE Executive Editor Elizabeth Sporkin for an exclusive PEOPLE VIP Live Chat about the beloved franchise on Thursday, Oct. 22, moderated by Senior Editor of Special Integrated Projects Ana Calderone.
From the surprising story behind the first-ever Sexiest Man Alive cover to a memorable animal rescue and one very generous celebrity gift, the editors shared plenty of behind-the-scenes secrets about the franchise’s 41-year history.
Here are five fun revelations from the conversation.
1. The first Sexiest Man Alive cover happened completely by accident
The Sexiest Man Alive franchise might’ve never existed if it weren’t for a photo shoot gone awry.
“The very first issue was 1985,” Triggs explained. “It was invented by accident because they had a photo shoot with Mel Gibson that was really hot. He looked amazing, but the interview ... was unusable.”
Rather than scrap the entire feature, the editors came up with a new idea.
“Somebody suggested, ‘Why don’t you just call him the “Sexiest Man Alive” and just run the pictures?’ And they did that,” Triggs said.
The Braveheart star, now 70, may not have known it at the time, but he was leading the charge for one of PEOPLE’s sexiest traditions — no sword required. And just like that, a PEOPLE institution was born.
The franchise eventually evolved into an annual event, with Sporkin recalling that George Clooney was the Sexiest Man Alive issue she was involved with as a staffer in 1997. Over the years, the feature has grown from a single cover story into an entire issue filled with different takes on sexiness.
2. Matt Damon originally turned down the title but still sent editors an incredibly generous gift
Even being named Sexiest Man Alive can come with a little hesitation. Just ask Matt Damon.
According to Sporkin, the 55-year-old actor initially turned down the title when PEOPLE selected him in 2007, even sending the editors a letter explaining, respectfully, why he didn’t want it.
However, the editors moved forward with the decision anyway — and The Odyssey star eventually came around.
“He was so touched,” Sporkin said. “He sent each editor that worked on the issue a case of red wine.”
And this wasn’t just any bottle of wine. “I looked it up. It was $75 a bottle,” Sporkin added.
Triggs was suitably impressed by the gesture, calling it an “elegant touch.”
A case of wine for every editor who worked on the issue: How about them apples — or should we say grapes?
3. Ryan Reynolds helped a stray dog find its forever home during his shoot
A Sexiest Man Alive photo shoot can create some unexpected memories, including one that has nothing to do with the cover star.
Sporkin recalled shooting 2010 Sexiest Man Alive Ryan Reynolds on a farm in Atlanta, where the crew encountered a stray dog that was “skin and bones.” Although the farm’s owners had warned the team not to feed stray dogs, the crew couldn’t resist helping the animal.
“And we fed it, of course,” Sporkin recounted.
The rescue didn’t end there. A publicist on set decided to adopt the dog, and the actor, 50, helped make the transition easier by giving her his own dog’s crate and leash.
“I’m gonna take that dog home and adopt it,” the publicist said, according to Sporkin.
Advertisement
The dog was named Sam, a sweet nod to the Sexiest Man Alive franchise, and went on to live for about 15 more years.
4. Jonathan Bailey had a whole vision for his Sexiest Man Alive shoot
When Jonathan Bailey was named PEOPLE’s 2025 Sexiest Man Alive, he didn’t just show up and pose (and dance through life). He came ready with ideas.
Triggs said the 38-year-old Bridgerton star was so involved in the creative process that she could picture him working as an art director if he weren’t an actor.
“He’s a very creative person,” she said.
The shoot took place on a beach in southern England, where Bailey embraced the ocean, spent time with his dog, Benson, and helped shape the styling.
“He just really knew what he wanted,” Triggs said.
And what he wanted, apparently, included a sexy tea moment.
“There’s a shot of him pouring tea like sexily into a cup,” Triggs explained. “He bought the teapot on Amazon. It’s a cute little thing that looks like a house because he just had a vision.”
The creative approach paid off, resulting in plenty of memorable images — including two different covers.
Triggs said she hopes more cover stars will get as involved in the creative process, adding, “I mean, that’s what you hope for. You hope that someone will be that into it.”
5. The editors are already teasing this year’s Sexiest Man Alive — and calling the cover star “epic”
With the next Sexiest Man Alive announcement on the horizon, Triggs offered a few hints about what fans can expect from this year’s issue.
The upcoming edition will feature six shoots, each highlighting a different kind of sexiness, including another centerfold.
“Each one is featuring somebody who stands on their own and is completely sexy and is like hitting a completely different vibe of sexiness,” said Triggs.
And PEOPLE has been celebrating just about every flavor of sexy this year with our Readers’ Choice Poll. Readers crowned Belmont Cameli their favorite fictional hockey player (the comments got heated), gave Dancing with the Stars pro Pasha Pashkov a perfect 10, and declared Craig Melvin the “Sexiest Morning Show Host.” Travis Kelce earned his stripes as a sexy cat dad, while Stephen Colbert proved that silver foxes just keep getting better with age.
As for the cover star? Triggs is confident PEOPLE has found the right person for the moment.
“Our cover star is epic,” she teased. “And I’m super excited because I think it’s going to be something that like everybody’s going to just be like, ‘That’s awesome.’ ”
She added that choosing the right person means finding someone who captures the spirit of the year. “You got to just pick the person who represents that year,” Triggs said.
And while she wasn’t ready to reveal any more details, she made one thing clear: She’s excited for fans to see what’s coming.
“So I think we nailed it this year,” she said. “Yeah. I’m excited.”
Get the Sexiest Man Alive issue early with PEOPLE VIP in the PEOPLE app, ahead of its newsstand release.
PEOPLE VIP Live Chats give members the opportunity to ask questions in real time during weekly conversations with celebrities, authors and PEOPLE’s editors. Recent chats include The Baby-Sitters Club author Ann M. Martin, the winner and finalists of People’s Next Red Carpet Reporter and PEOPLE’s royals experts on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s return to the U.K.
Join PEOPLE VIP now to participate in future Live Chats and Q+As, as well as for access to PEOPLE two days before it hits newsstands, monthly bonus issues, hundreds of celebrity recipes and 1,000+ pop culture games. Plus, if you join PEOPLE VIP by Oct. 31, 2026, you’ll receive two welcome gifts: a limited-edition PEOPLE tote bag and an official Sexiest Man Alive beach towel.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
