Paul Rudd May Be Sexiest Man Alive, But His Wife Would Have Chosen Another A-Lister

Being named the Sexiest Man Alive has to be a big ego boost. With approximately 3.9 billion men on earth, those are pretty big odds to beat after all. However, despite recently being handed the coveted title for 2021, the legendarily attractive Paul Rudd has still found himself humbled. That’s because his wife has made it clear she would have chosen another A-list actor for the honor. 

For years, the internet has marveled at how Paul Rudd has been able to retain his good looks as he ages (or, well, doesn’t age). So it wasn’t a surprise when People Magazine announced the Ant-Man star was chosen to be their Sexiest Man Alive for this year. It’s always a controversial call, though, and fans around the world are never shy about announcing who they think the biggest snub was. 

This time around, one of the people who was dissatisfied with the choice was apparently the actor’s wife, actress-producer Julie Yaeger. While on the red carpet for the New York City premiere of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the actor told Extra that if given the choice, Yaeger would have given the sought-after moniker to another A-lister:

You have to love that he admitted he couldn’t argue with her and that even he would vote for Keanu Reeves if given the chance. As it stands, at least he gets to share the title with the Matrix star, albeit in an unconventional way. Reeves was in the running for Sexiest Man Alive in 1994, but the magazine didn’t bestow the title on anyone that year. But in 2015, he was retroactively named the sexiest man of that year. 

In addition to the John Wick lead, Paul Rudd now joins an elite group of very sexy men who’ve adorned People’s cover issue. They include Idris Elba, Brad Pitt, George Clooney (another case study in aging gracefully), and last year’s winner, Michael B. Jordan.

When the news first broke, the actor himself had a decidedly Rudd-ian response, announcing his new goals now that he is officially sexy — including becoming more brooding, more mysterious, and hopefully enjoying more yacht rides. Some of his famous friends, like Jennifer Aniston and fellow MCU members Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo, also took the time to congratulate him, so at least he knows he has his squad on his side. 

Both Paul Rudd and his new faux rival, Keanu Reeves, are probably too busy to duke it out over who is really the Sexiest Man Alive. Ghostbusters: Afterlife has just hit theaters, and Rudd has been hard at work on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is due to hit theaters in 2023. Reeves, on the other hand, is juggling multiple franchises, including upcoming installment of John Wick as well as The Matrix Resurrections, which hits theaters on December 22.