PEOPLE is about to name a new Sexiest Man Alive — and before the next cover star is revealed, the magazine opened its own vault. In an exclusive PEOPLE VIP live chat on Thursday, Oct. 22, Editor-in-Chief and General Manager Charlotte Triggs joined former executive editor Elizabeth Sporkin, with the conversation moderated by Senior Editor of Special Integrated Projects Ana Calderone, to share behind-the-scenes secrets from the franchise’s 41-year history. From a cover that happened completely by accident to a very generous celebrity gift and a memorable animal rescue, here are the five revelations everyone is talking about.
1. The First Cover Happened by Accident
The Sexiest Man Alive franchise might never have existed if not for a photo shoot gone awry. “The very first issue was 1985,” Triggs explained. “It was invented by accident because they had a photo shoot with Mel Gibson that was really hot. He looked amazing, but the interview … was unusable.” Rather than scrap the feature, the editors improvised. “Somebody suggested, ‘Why don’t you just call him the “Sexiest Man Alive” and just run the pictures?’ And they did that,” Triggs said. The Braveheart star, now 70, was unknowingly leading the charge for one of PEOPLE’s signature traditions — no sword required. The feature eventually evolved into an annual event; Sporkin recalled that the George Clooney issue of 1997 was the one she was involved with as a staffer, and over the years the single cover story has grown into an entire issue filled with different takes on sexiness.
(Harald Krichel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0))2. Matt Damon Said No — Then Sent Wine
Even being named Sexiest Man Alive can come with hesitation. According to Sporkin, Matt Damon initially turned down the title when PEOPLE selected him in 2007, even sending the editors a letter respectfully explaining why he didn’t want it. The editors moved forward anyway — and the Odyssey star, now 55, eventually came around. “He was so touched,” Sporkin said. “He sent each editor that worked on the issue a case of red wine” And this wasn’t just any wine. “I looked it up. It was $75 a bottle,” Sporkin added. Triggs called the gesture an “elegant touch” — a case of wine for every editor on the issue.
3. Ryan Reynolds’ Shoot Rescued a Dog Named Sam
A cover shoot can create memories that have nothing to do with the cover star. Sporkin recalled shooting 2010 Sexiest Man Alive Ryan Reynolds on a farm in Atlanta, where the crew encountered a stray dog that was “skin and bones.” The farm’s owners had warned the team not to feed stray dogs, but the crew couldn’t resist. “And we fed it, of course,” Sporkin recounted. A publicist on set then decided to adopt the dog — “I’m gonna take that dog home and adopt it” — and Reynolds, now 50, helped make the transition easier by giving her his own dog’s crate and leash. The dog was named Sam, a sweet nod to the Sexiest Man Alive franchise, and went on to live for about 15 more years.
(Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0))4. Jonathan Bailey Art-Directed His Own Shoot
When Jonathan Bailey was named PEOPLE’s 2025 Sexiest Man Alive, he didn’t just show up and pose. Triggs said the 38-year-old Bridgerton star was so involved in the creative process that she could picture him working as an art director if he weren’t an actor. “He’s a very creative person,” she said. The shoot took place on a beach in southern England, where Bailey embraced the ocean, spent time with his dog, Benson, and helped shape the styling. “He just really knew what he wanted,” Triggs said. What he wanted included a tea moment: “There’s a shot of him pouring tea like sexily into a cup,” Triggs explained. “He bought the teapot on Amazon. It’s a cute little thing that looks like a house because he just had a vision.” The approach produced two different covers, and Triggs hopes more cover stars get that involved: “That’s what you hope for. You hope that someone will be that into it.”
(Gorup de Besanez / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0))5. This Year’s Cover Star Is “Epic”
Finally, the editors teased what comes next. The upcoming edition will feature six shoots, each highlighting a different kind of sexiness, including another centerfold. “Each one is featuring somebody who stands on their own and is completely sexy and is like hitting a completely different vibe of sexiness,” Triggs said. PEOPLE has been celebrating different flavors of sexy all year through its Readers’ Choice Poll: readers crowned Belmont Cameli their favorite fictional hockey player, gave Dancing with the Stars pro Pasha Pashkov a perfect 10, declared Craig Melvin the “Sexiest Morning Show Host,” named Travis Kelce a sexy cat dad, and saluted Stephen Colbert as proof that silver foxes keep getting better with age. As for the cover star, Triggs — the magazine’s editor-in-chief — is confident: “Our cover star is epic,” she teased. “You got to just pick the person who represents that year. So I think we nailed it this year. Yeah. I’m excited.” The issue arrives early for PEOPLE VIP members in the PEOPLE app, ahead of its newsstand release.
It is a fitting anniversary-year conversation for a franchise that has always run on personality. Forty-one years after an unusable interview accidentally invented a tradition, the Sexiest Man Alive issue now spans six shoots, a centerfold, a readers’ poll with its own fiercely loyal commenters, and a VIP chat in which the editors themselves become the storytellers. The wine, the dog and the teapot are not trivia — they are the franchise’s family stories, retold on the record by the two women who know them best.