At long last, Patrick Dempsey has been named People’s 2023 “Sexiest Man Alive.”
The 57-year-old beat out Pedro Pascal, Timothée Chalamet, Usher, Jamie Foxx, Jason Kelce, and Lenny Kravitz. He has the honor and privilege of following in Marvel Actor Chris Evans’s “Sexiest Man” footsteps. Despite having a long career in Hollywood and being the subject of many a celebrity crush, this is the first time McDreamy himself has ever been declared America’s “Sexiest Man.”
Even though this is his first time making the cover for this issue of People Magazine, he’s been featured in the “Sexiest Man” issue several times. He told People that he has been one of the runners-up for “Sexiest Man” ten times. He’s been runner-up to stars like George Clooney and Matt Damon for years. As it turns out, he’s just been slowly climbing to the top of the list. Like, really slowly.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dempsey was featured in the magazine in 2006 and 2007, after his breakout role of Dr. Derek Shepard on Grey’s Anatomy. Although for many people, he tractor-rode his way into their hearts when he starred as Ronald Miller in the 1987 rom-com Can’t Buy Me Love.
After leaving Grey’s Anatomy in 2015, Dempsey went on to star and work on several projects, including Disney’s Enchanted and Disenchanted, and he has also dabbled in race car driving. He also started The Dempsey Center, which helps people affected by cancer.
He shared in his People interview that he hopes earning this title will help him to draw attention to The Dempsey Center, also saying that he was grateful that this was happening at this point in his life. He told them that he laughed when first learned about earning the title. He said that he’s glad that it has finally happened because he’s always been the bridesmaid and never the bride when it comes to being “Sexiest Man.”
Fans are just as excited as he is, agreeing with the sentiment that it has most certainly been a long time coming.
Several fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to express their excitement, many pointing out that he’s been the Sexiest Man alive for years to them. At the very least, Dempsey can rest easy knowing that he’s been the winner in the hearts of many a Grey’s Anatomy fan.
Dempsey has declared himself the reigning winner for the next ten years, but realistically America is overwhelmingly happy to have him as their emblem of hotness for the next year.