Chris Evans has been declared People’s newest sexiest man alive, prompting both praise and debate among the actor’s fans.
The magazine announced it had bestowed the 2022 honour on the Captain America star, 41, in this week’s cover story. Of the title, the actor claimed his “mom will be so happy”.
He also noted that he expects his new moniker to lead to a fair share of jokes at his expense, admitting that participating in the accompanying interview felt “like a weird form of humble bragging”.
“Really this will just be a point of bullying,” he joked. “It’s ripe for harassment.”
The actor has proven partially correct, as fans have since taken to social media to debate the 2022 title’s accuracy.
A significant number of people said they stand with the magazine’s decision, revealing that they “concur” with the label bestowed on Evans.
“If Chris Evans isn’t the sexiest man alive, who is??? Finally justice was served,” one person tweeted.
Another said: “Very happy about this,” while one fan revealed they agree with the decision because Evans is “so lovely and hot”.
“DEMOCRACY WORKS: Chris Evans is People’s 2022 sexiest man alive,” someone else tweeted.
According to People’s former editor-in-chief Dan Wakeford, who spoke to CNN about the process of selecting the sexiest man alive in 2019, the decision does come partly down to reader input.
“There are so many different variables and ways of approaching it,” Wakeford said. “A starting point often is, when we want to make a decision, is to think about the zeitgeist, think about what is sexy at the moment. What do people find appealing at the moment?”
The former magazine editor said the team also conducts polls and looks at data: “We have more than 90 million consumers a month stepping into the People brand, so we’ve got a lot of data at our fingertips.”
Evans’ fans also appreciated the recognition considering the actor’s dedication to encouraging his followers to vote. The 41 year old recently took to Instagram Live to remind his followers to “get involved” ahead of the Midterm elections on 8 November.
“I can’t believe that today Chris Evans talked about politics and later he is considered the sexiest man alive, the perfect balance,” one person wrote alongside a screen recording of the actor’s Instagram Live.
According to someone else, the “best part” about the actor’s newest title has been his reaction to the honour. “The best part about Chris Evans being the sexiest man alive is that he’s so humble and cute about it as if he’s just a man next door rather than a celebrity millionaire,” they claimed.
The recognition also prompted praise from Evans’ fellow Avengers star Yvette Nicole Brown, who jokingly tweeted: “And we KNOW this! Hey @ChrisEvans, I’ll be stopping by to get my issue autographed. Don’t act brand new like you don’t know nobody!”
While a significant portion of the reaction was positive, there were some who disagreed with Evans’ latest achievement, claiming there are Hollywood stars better suited for the title.
“Hey @People I think you spelled @Chris_Meloni wrong,” one person tweeted, while another said: “Incorrect, it’s Harry Styles.”
As for how Evans’ mother Lisa reacted to the news, she told People that she was “not surprised at all” that her son had been granted the honour.
Evans became the latest Hollywood star to earn the title after it was given to Paul Rudd in 2021. At the time, the Ant Man star said he planned to “lean into” the title, despite expecting his friends to give him “so much grief”.
