Every year, People Magazine chooses one man upon whom will be bestowed the coveted title of "Sexiest Man Alive," and on Wednesday morning, we finally found out who the latest celeb to join the ranks is. It's official: Celebrity dad and former Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey has been named the 2023 Sexiest Man Alive, and yes, people online do have a lot of feelings about this. Picking someone to follow in Chris Evans' footsteps wasn't going to easy, but People has certainly managed to have done it.
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Patrick is celebrating the honor with his own 'People' cover.
After a career that began when the 57-year-old actor was still in his teenage years, he became an '80s heartthrob following his role in Can't Buy me Love, and his star has only risen since. Most famously, Patrick is known for playing Derek Shepherd (or Dr. McDreamy) on the television series Grey's Anatomy, but that's just one part of his success.
Dad of three, race car driver, Hollywood superstar — he's got a pretty impressive resumé already, but now, he can add "Sexiest Man Alive" to his list.
He admitted that he was a bit surprised by the honor.
"I was completely shocked, and then I started laughing, like, this is a joke, right? I’ve always been the bridesmaid!" he told People. "I’d completely forgotten about it and never even contemplated being in this position. So my ego is good."
Now, he says he wants to use this unexpected boost to his platform to do more positive work in the world.
Fans certainly seem to approve of the choice.
All over social media — both Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter), fans have been gushing over People's choice for this year's honor.
"Patrick Dempsey BEEN sexiest man alive since he said 'its a beautiful day to save lives that first time' in 2005," one Grey's fan tweeted.
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He's already made his first TV appearance since receiving the title.
Late Tuesday night, Patrick appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to talk about his new title — and how secretive he had to be about it before it was officially announced.
"You're not allowed to talk about it at all. You're not allowed to mention it. Everybody signs these nondisclosures where you're not allowed to say what they're doing," he explained.
Congrats to Patrick!
Considering that he's been the object of many people's celebrity crushes for decades at this point, it goes without saying that he's deserving of the honor.
But like he told Jimmy Kimmel, the year will certainly go by fast — let's see how he chooses to make the most of it!
