The Sexiest Man Alive Readers’ Choice Poll 2026 Results Are in! See Who Got Your Vote
The votes are in, and readers did not hold back. Across 14 categories, readers voted hundreds of thousands of times in the annual Sexiest Man Alive Readers’ Choice Poll — more than 250,000 votes in total — and submitted more than 600 comments, including cheers, write-in requests, and objections to pairing Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. Some races were very tight, and celebrities and nominees campaigned too, including Craig Melvin’s Today coworkers teasing him and the Sturniolo Triplets holding a sexy-off.
The main Sexiest Man Alive reveal, the article says, was just around the corner when these poll winners were announced. No specific date for that reveal is given, and none is invented here. Here are all 14 winners, in the article’s order.
1. Hotter Than Your Morning Cup of Coffee — Craig Melvin
Craig Melvin, described as the newly crowned Sexiest Morning Show Host, said he was not campaigning. Others did it for him: fans at Rockefeller Center Plaza, his wife, coworkers, and even a skeleton in Washington, D.C. campaigned for him. Other contenders named were Gio Benitez, Vladimir Duthiers and Michael Strahan.
2. Sexiest Silver Fox — Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert won after briefly sporting a distinguished gray beard at the Emmys and then shaving it on Jimmy Kimmel Live! days later. Other silver-haired contenders were Sam Champion, Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper.
3. Sexiest Cat Dad — Travis Kelce
Travis Kelce was crowned an extremely sexy cat (step) dad, with a joke that he had to marry self-described cat lady Taylor Swift to qualify. Other contenders were Dolph Lundgren, MGK and Paul Hollywood, following in Dave Franco’s cat-obsessed footsteps.
4. Sexiest Fake Hockey Player You Want to Play Real Tonsil Hockey With — Belmont Cameli
Belmont Cameli won as Garrett in Off Campus, in a category the article says became heated in comments. No other individual contenders are named in that paragraph.
5. Sexiest Period Drama Dreamboat — Victor Alli
Victor Alli won as John Stirling in Bridgerton, despite the article’s spoiler about his tragic end in season 4. Other period-drama contenders were Dónal Finn (The Other Bennet Sister), Morgan Spector (The Gilded Age) and Jack Lowden (Pride & Prejudice).
6. Sexiest ReelShort Star — Chase Mattson
Chase Mattson won a neck-and-neck ReelShort category. Other contenders were Kasey Esser, Seth Edeen and Marc Herrmann, with Bound by Duty cited as a comparison for the suspense.
7. Sexiest Son of an ‘SMA’ — Levi McConaughey
Levi McConaughey, son of Matthew McConaughey, won. Other contenders were Homer Gere, John David Washington and Paris Brosnan, whose fathers had all covered the Sexiest Man Alive issue, Richard Gere twice, and Levi was described as possibly making the title a dynasty.
8. Sexiest ‘DWTS’ Pro — Pasha Pashkov
Pasha Pashkov won, partnered with Amber Glenn this season, praised for a sweet smile and chiseled abs and for a smoldering Instagram post by his wife and fellow DWTS pro Daniella Karagach.
9. Sexiest TikTok Star — Jack Innanen
Jack Innanen, content creator and Adults star, won after humorously begging his millions of followers to vote. Other contenders were Sammy Batchelder, the Sturniolo Triplets and Jackson Olson.
10. Sexiest TV Cowboy — Luke Grimes
Luke Grimes won as Kayce Dutton on Marshals. Other contenders were Benjamin Ayres (Hope Valley: 1874), Cole Hauser (Dutton Ranch) and Warren Christie (Little House on the Prairie).
11. Sexiest Broadway Debut — Joaquin Consuelos
Joaquin Consuelos won for his Broadway debut in Death of a Salesman. The article notes dad Mark and sons Michael and Joaquin have now all been featured in the issue, and that mom Kelly Ripa called it an embarrassment of riches.
12. Sexiest Y2K Throwback Having a Major Moment — Jensen Ackles
Jensen Ackles, the Supernatural star, won with a commanding lead according to the article. Other 2000s-era contenders were James Lafferty, Adam Brody and Penn Badgley.
13. Sexiest World Cup Star — Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham of England won, described as shirtless in the article’s framing. Other contenders were Erling Haaland, Ferran Torres and Christian Pulisic.
14. Sexiest ‘Love Island’-er — Caleb McDaniel
Caleb McDaniel won as a new bombshell entrant. Other contenders were Bryce Alakai, Sincere Rhea and KC Chandler.
That is the full reader verdict: 14 categories, more than 250,000 votes, and a list that runs from morning television to Broadway, from period drama to the World Cup. The main title reveal was still to come — but readers, at least, had already made their choices clear.
