34 men who are worthy runners-up for Jonathan Bailey’s Sexiest Man Alive title

• Jonathan Bailey was announced as People’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2025.
• The public seemed almost universally pleased with this decision.
• Still, we’ve found 34 other celebrities that we think are worthy runners-up.

Jonathan Bailey has been named the latest People’s Sexiest Man Alive.

People doesn’t always impress readers with its selections, but this year is different. Bailey, 37, has been highly praised as this year’s choice.

There are several parameters that determine who gets chosen. First, the person has to accept, which not everyone does. That’s reportedly why the honor has never been bestowed on Ryan Gosling.

Secondly, the person usually has a project that they’re promoting. Bailey, an actor, has had a busy year. He started off the year on London’s West End playing King Richard II in Shakespeare’s “Richard II,” then starred in “Jurassic World Rebirth,” one of the biggest movies of the year, and will cap off 2025 by once again playing Fiyero in “Wicked: For Good.” And, of course, at the beginning of 2026, he’ll return for season four of Netflix’s smash hit “Bridgerton.”

Plus, we have to give People props for choosing Bailey, a gay man — a first for the magazine.

Still, we’ve created a list of 34 other talented men who have easily earned the silver medal for Sexiest Man Alive this year — or who could snag the title in the future — from Glen Powell to Pedro Pascal to Travis Kelce.

Keep scrolling to see our picks for this year.

After years of hiding his face on “The Mandalorian,” we’re getting to see more of Pedro Pascal than ever.

Pascal, 50, played easily the sexiest character in “Game of Thrones” history, Oberyn Martell (RIP, we miss you).

After making us all gasp every time he lifts his helmet in “The Mandalorian,” it’s high time for People to give him the respect he deserves.

Even though 2025 was perhaps his busiest year ever between “Materialists,” “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” “The Last of Us,” “Eddington,” and his “daddy” essence taking over the internet, 2026 is set to be another Year of Pascal between “The Mandalorian and Grogu” and “Avengers: Doomsday.”

We’re sure his “Gladiator II” costar Paul Mescal will win one day, too.

Mescal, 29, has been a sex symbol ever since we saw him on our screens for the first time in 2020’s “Normal People.” Even his gold chain had its own Instagram account.

His career post-“Normal People” has shown he’s anything but a one-hit wonder, though. He was nominated for an Oscar for his role in “Aftersun,” played yet another romantic lead in “All of Us Strangers,” and is once again earning Oscar buzz for his role in “Hamnet.”

We’d also be remiss not to mention how great he looked in “Gladiator II.”

But since he wasn’t named Sexiest Man Alive this year, we can only wait as his career continues to skyrocket.

It is abundantly clear that everyone loves Andrew Garfield.

Garfield, 42, has had a wild last few years, between stunning us all with his amazing singing voice in “Tick, Tick… Boom!,” somehow making us all nostalgic for his “Spider-Man” movies that are famously mediocre — they live and die by the charm of Garfield and Emma Stone — and his nomination for an Emmy for “Under the Banner of Heaven.”

After taking a break, he returned last year to star in the alternately heartwarming and heartbreaking film “We Live in Time,” and to break the internet by appearing on “Chicken Shop Date.”

Keanu Reeves was retroactively named 1994’s Sexiest Man Alive, but we think he deserves the honor for real.

Between “Point Break,” “John Wick,” “The Matrix,” “The Replacements,” “My Own Private Idaho,” “Speed,” “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” and even this year’s “Good Fortune,” Reeves deserves recognition for a lifetime of sexiness.

He’s just an overall great person, and for that, he should be rewarded. Also, he’s somehow 61 years old and still looks like this.

Daniel Kaluuya meshes amazing style with movie-star good looks.

Kaluuya, 36, has been giving teenagers everywhere butterflies since his “Skins” days. But his breakout role in “Get Out” catapulted him to a new level of stardom. Sure, Kaluuya already has an Oscar for “Judas and the Black Messiah,” but we can’t rest until he’s been named Sexiest Man Alive.

Oscar Isaac kissing Jessica Chastain’s arm has been living rent-free in our heads for years now.

This video went viral, and for good reason. Isaac, our reigning short king, is able to make every single thing he does sexy. It’s just who he is.

A quick search on Twitter of “Oscar Isaac short king” yields thousands of tweets. So give this 46-year-old star what he deserves after the disastrous “Rise of Skywalker” and declare him the Sexiest Man Alive.

Plus, he officially entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “Moon Knight,” which has basically become a prerequisite for the People crown.

Glen Powell is almost too handsome. It’s like looking into the sun.

What few years months it’s been for Glen Powell. After stealing our hearts in 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” the 37-year-old knew he had to capitalize on our love.

And that he did, with “Anyone But You,” “Hit Man,” “Twisters,” and “Chad Powers.” We’ll soon see a true test of his box office power with “The Running Man” in November.

Choosing him seemed like a no-brainer, but alas.

The thirst for Timothée Chalamet showed no signs of slowing down this year.

The love for 29-year-old Chalamet only grows as he continues to take some pretty legendary fashion risks. Remember the shirtless Oscars moment? Or his backless jumpsuit at Cannes?

What else proves that Chalamet inspires a semi-unhinged fervor amongst fans? When footage from the set of Wonka” leaked, the “Twonka” memes took over the internet, as Vulture reported.

The release of “Dune: Part Two” and “A Complete Unknown” last year proved Chalamet is a movie star, full stop. Both were hugely successful at the box office, and his performances garnered rave reviews — he even secured an Oscar nom for playing Bob Dylan.

We’ll be getting more Timmy this year, too; the ping-pong drama “Marty Supreme” premieres in December.

Austin Butler was more than up to the challenge to play one of the first sex symbols, Elvis Presley.

Many people were dubious when Butler, at that point best known for “The Carrie Diaries,” was cast as Presley. They were all forced to eat their words when “Elvis” premiered in 2022 and Butler was crowned one of the internet’s newest boyfriends.

Just watch him perform in the movie, and tell us we’re wrong. He was even nominated for an Oscar.

The 34-year-old continued his hot streak by playing the absolutely unhinged Feyd Rautha in “Dune: Part Two” and a cult leader, Vernon, in “Eddington” before turning right around and playing heartthrobs in “The Bikeriders” and “Caught Stealing.”

But Jacob Elordi gave him a run for his money in “Priscilla,” playing a different version of Elvis.

Elordi has a sweet spot for playing toxic men — “The Kissing Booth,” “Euphoria,” “Saltburn,” and “Priscilla” all come to mind — which is why it’s so endearing to see him act shy in interviews like his 2023 appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”

He’s just 28, so we know that Elordi most likely has a long road of sexy roles ahead of him, including opposite fellow Sexiest Man Alive contender Oscar Isaac in “Frankenstein,” and playing Heathcliff in “Wuthering Heights” with Margot Robbie.

Cillian Murphy took over the internet after playing J. Robert Oppenheimer in “Oppenheimer.”

Murphy, 49, has long been the thinking person’s sexiest man alive, with his Irish accent and his intense on-screen energy.

But after starring in six seasons of the BBC series “Peaky Blinders” and his Oscar-winning performance in the blockbuster “Oppenheimer,” Murphy finally seems to be getting what he deserves.

We doubt Murphy would ever actually accept this honor, but we still need to give him his (sexy) flowers. Perhaps when the “Peaky Blinders” movie is released.

John Cho doesn’t seem to age, does he?

Cho, 53, deserves a starring role in a rom-com so that the rest of the world who didn’t watch “Selfie” before it was canceled can learn what we know: He’s definitely deserving of a Sexiest Man Alive title.

But since rom-coms are a dying breed, we guess we’ll settle for a leading role in the second season of Apple TV+’s “The Afterparty” and the horror film “Afraid.”

We won’t mention “Cowboy Bebop” if you won’t.

Two words: Hot Rabbi. OK, two more words: Adam Brody.

As any ’90s and 2000s TV viewer can tell you, Adam Brody as Seth Cohen on “The OC” was formative. But since the show ended, it was somewhat quiet for the 45-year-old.

That all changed when “Nobody Wants This” dropped on Netflix this year, bringing Brody-mania back with a vengeance as he played an achingly romantic rabbi willing to throw his career away for love.

Move over, Hot Priest. Hot Rabbi is here to stay.

It’s a bit shocking that Henry Cavill hasn’t already taken the title.

Remember when Cavill, 42, appeared in a “Mission Impossible” film and appeared to “reload” his fists before punching Tom Cruise? We could never forget.

The last few years have been a bit up and down for Cavill, with a starring role in “The Witcher” for three seasons, which became one of Netflix’s most popular shows — though he left the show — and taking on the mantle of Sherlock Holmes in “Enola Holmes” and its sequel.

We thought that his version of Superman was here to stay after a cameo in “Black Adam,” but that turned out not to be true. The Sexiest Man Alive honor could be a perfect pick-me-up for Cavill after the back-to-back-to-back flops of “Black Adam,” “Argylle,” and “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.”

We also can’t forget his short, but meaningful, cameo in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” where he proved he can make any facial hair work.

Cavill’s successor as Superman, David Corenswet, would’ve also been a worthy choice.

It’s not easy to step into the boots and cape of Superman, but Corenswet, 32, made it look like a breeze. Don’t be surprised to see him on the cover whenever “Man of Tomorrow” is released in 2027.

It takes a powerful presence to go up against Brad Pitt, but Damson Idris did.

In many ways, “F1” was essentially one former Sexiest Man Alive passing the torch to another future Sexiest Man Alive.

Idris, 34, has a long career ahead of him, including a role in the highly anticipated adaptation of “Children of Blood and Bone” in 2027, so we might need to wait until then.

Dev Patel’s hair alone deserves awards of its own.

Besides his episode of “Modern Love,” which People ranked as the best episode of the season, Patel, 35, has been killing it lately.

One of his most recent films, “The Green Knight,” a medieval epic that Patel was top-billed in, was released in 2021. While the film might’ve left you confused, we definitely walked out knowing one thing: Patel is a star.

Patel also made his Wes Anderson debut on Netflix — hopefully, he’ll be in more of Anderson’s projects in the future.

Last year, he starred and directed the action thriller “Monkey Man.” We love a multi-hyphenate.

And we already mentioned his hair.

People was clearly not feeling the “Kenergy” from Ryan Gosling, even if the rest of us did.

It’s shocking that he’s never won — not after “The Notebook,” not after “Crazy Stupid Love,” not after “La La Land,” not after the “Hey Girl” meme went viral, and not after beating up 2022’s Sexiest Man Alive (Chris Evans) in “The Gray Man.”

However, if playing the most lovable himbo of all time, Ken, in “Barbie” — complete with a song-and-dance sequence — wasn’t enough for People, we don’t know what is.

According to ET, the soon-to-be 45-year-old has actually turned it down before, but that humility only adds to the sexy vibe.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s chaotic energy is a huge part of why we love him so much.

Gyllenhaal is another almost unbelievable snub in the Sexiest Man Alive canon. He’s been a favorite since 2001’s “Donnie Darko,” for crying out loud!

The 44-year-old has had a busy couple of years between “The Guilty,” “Ambulance,” “Strange World,” “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant,” and the remake of “Road House.”

But, we’d be remiss not to mention the press tour for “Far From Home,” and the subsequent bromance that emerged between Gyllenhaal and his costar, Tom Holland. We could watch interviews with them for hours.

Simu Liu made us giggle as one of the Kens in “Barbie,” while also showing off his killer dance moves.

As any “Kim’s Convenience” fan could’ve told you, Liu has always had his admirers. But now that the 36-year-old is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he’s reached a whole new level.

LaKeith Stanfield is hard to look away from when he’s on screen.

Whether it’s in “Knives Out,” “Someone Great,” “Atlanta,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “The Harder They Fall,” “Sorry to Bother You,” or even “Haunted Mansion,” 34-year-old Stanfield is a magnetic presence on screen.

Jeremy Allen White has people everywhere saying “Yes, Chef.”

White, star of the Hulu sensation “The Bear,” has been a sex symbol for a long time — ask any fan of “Shameless.”

But the 34-year-old is hitting his stride now, with four seasons as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto and a recent turn as the Boss himself in “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” under his belt.

Bad Bunny has been worthy of the title for years.

Benito’s 2022 album “Un Verano Sin Ti” was nominated for multiple Latin Grammys and had the biggest streaming week for a Latin album ever. His 2023 album “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana,” was also a huge hit, as was his 2025 album “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” — honestly, People is behind the times on this one.

Even the NFL is on board! He’s headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show this year.

The 31-year-old’s style, good looks, musical talent, and personality all contribute to his sexiness — it’s time to get on the Bad Bunny train, if you’re not already.

Kumail Nanjiani’s superhero glow-up is one for the ages.

Much has been said about Nanjiani’s workout regimen and how his wife encouraged us all to appreciate the results in “Eternals,” but real fans know the 47-year-old has been one to watch since “Silicon Valley.”

Steven Yeun has had an incredible couple of years.

Yeun has been popular since he starred on “The Walking Dead,” but he’s achieved more mainstream success recently. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 2021 for his performance in “Minari.” Soon after, he began voicing Mark Grayson in the hit Prime Video series “Invincible.”

Last year was even bigger, with the Netflix series “Beef.” The 41-year-old won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and a Critics’ Choice Award, among others, for his performance as Danny.

The entire cast of “Queer Eye,” known collectively as the Fab Five, proves that it’s sexy to be kind.

The Fab Five — Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Karamo Brown, and Jeremiah Brent (and formerly Bobby Berk) — are only growing their reach, as evidenced by the coming final batch of episodes that see them heading to Washington, DC, to help a new group of “heroes.”

From taking fashion risks and shedding light on the HIV-positive community to helping people find love again, these five are a much-needed dose of good vibes in 2025, even if there are some reports of drama behind the scenes.

Prince Harry makes us swoon whenever he stands up for his wife, Meghan Markle.

Watching the Oprah Winfrey special about Meghan and Harry choosing to leave the royal family was heartbreaking, no question. But there’s something about the way that Harry, 41, fully supported his wife and was able to be vulnerable on national TV that had us a little … distracted.

Also, please watch this video of him doing an obstacle course with James Corden. You’ll thank us.

Jason Momoa is also due the crown.

Even Helen Mirren is unable to resist how “gorgeous” the 46-year-old “Aquaman” star is. Between his luscious locks, his beard, his shredded body, and his wonderful sense of humor, we think her Momoa obsession is very relatable.

We’re all ready for Mahershala Ali to become our new favorite vampire.

Ali’s giant smile is infectious, and his voice is supremely smooth and soothing. What else can you ask from the Sexiest Man Alive? And, it’s becoming clear that Ali, 51, is only going to get better with time.

Christian Bale is long overdue for his Sexiest Man Alive honor.

The 51-year-old has been making our hearts flutter since he starred in the 1994 version of “Little Women,” in the same role that fellow sexy person Timothée Chalamet took over in 2019.

Chris Pine remains the best Hollywood Chris.

Audiences had low expectations for “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves” in 2023. But we all should have known better — any movie that lives and dies by the charisma of Pine, 45, will be fine.

You can have Hemsworth, Evans, and Pratt. Pine will always be No. 1 in our hearts.

Not even Taylor Swift is immune to the charms of Travis Kelce.

No, we’re not going to say that Swift put Kelce, 35, on the map, but we will say that some Swifties have learned more about the NFL and football in the last few years than they have probably in their entire lives.

What we think is the main part of Kelce’s sexiness is that he’s not afraid of a powerful woman, or of shooting his shot; he said on his podcast with his brother that he wanted to give Swift a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it.

Cut to a few weeks later, and Swift is hanging out with his parents in a box at Arrowhead Stadium, and now they’re engaged. Manifesting works.

We’ll always be bitter we only got one season of Manny Jacinto’s “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte.”

We’ve loved Jacinto, 38, since his days on “The Good Place” as the lovable himbo Jason Mendoza, but his role as The Stranger in “The Acolyte” reminded us how much we need him on screen.

Please see “Freakier Friday” to see how powerful Jacinto is.

Josh Hartnett made an astounding comeback this year.

Hartnett, 47, was one of the biggest crushes for anyone who was interested in men in the late ’90s and 2000s, but he stepped back from Hollywood for years.

That is, until 2023, when he made a grand return in “Oppenheimer” and then kept it up with this year’s thriller “Trap,” which was one of the biggest hits of the summer.

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