People Magazine’s Pick for ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ Leaves Black Women Outraged for the Second Year In a Row
“The Office” actor John Krasinski has been crowned People magazine’s 2024 Sexiest Man Alive, and this reveal is the second time in one week that the outlet has caused a stir on social media.
On Nov. 11, Benny Blanco, music producer and boyfriend of Selena Gomez, also was featured in the issue, and the pick left fans scratching their heads.
With Krasinski taking the title a year after “Grey’s Anatomy” actor Patrick Dempsey, also known as Dr. McDreamy, held the spot in 2023, Black women can’t help but wonder who is in charge of choosing the Sexiest Man Alive each year.
One fan wrote under The Shade Room’s repost of the news asking, “Where are the black men?????”
Someone else tweeted, “All these fine ass black actors & musicians and yet again, @people chose an average af looking white actor for this year’s #SexiestManAlive? I have nothing against John Krasinski but it’s called “Sexiest Man Alive”. People Magazine, please do better.”
Like they do every year, fans began naming other celebrity men who would have been a better pick than both Blanco and Krasinski. Even when Dempsey won, there were mixed reviews of whether he should have been chosen. Many argued that Method Man should have been picked.
Following the announcement about Krasinski, Black women protested in The Shade Room’s comments. One person said, “bruh have yall SEEN MORRIS CHESTNUT?! how is anyone even winning this when someone like morris chestnut is alive.”
A second person wrote, “Was Method Man in the running?”
A third said, “Before Morris Chestnut… Lance Gross… Kofi Sirobe… Luke James?”
The first Black celebrity that was chosen to be Sexiest Man Alive was none other than Denzel Washington. The “Equalizer” star was picked in 1996 and was the only Black man who held the title until 2016 when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson got it.
Two years later Idris Elba was honored, then the next year John Legend. That following year, in 2020, Michael B. Jordan was named and he was the last Black man to get it since.
In a 2010 ABC interview, People’s then-Managing Editor Larry Hackett explained how they chose their winners at the time. He said, “I think what makes ‘Sexy Man’ work so well is that it’s fun. So the decision that we make is based on what we sort of hear out there among the public. … Whose movie did you see? Whose record did you buy? Whose television show did you watch? How are you feeling about these individuals? So we try to reflect that.”
“We know it has to be a mix of someone who’s hot but well-known, Hackett continued. “Not too young, not too old, and somebody who, frankly, maybe we haven’t thought of. So the doors are open, no holds barred, what do we think?”
