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SYFY WIRE Paul Rudd

Sorry, Captain America: Ant-Man's Paul Rudd named People Magazine's 'Sexiest Man Alive' for 2021

Don't believe the Chris Evans hype — Paul Rudd is actually the proud owner of America's posterior.

By Josh Weiss
Paul Rudd Getty

Sorry, Chris Evans, but Paul Rudd is actually the proud owner of America's ass. The Ant-Man and Ghostbusters: Afterlife star was officially dubbed People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" for 2021 (beating out reported frontrunners like Evans and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson).

Stephen Colbert made the exclusive announcement on The Late Show Tuesday evening with a hilarious sketch in which the talk show host took on the role of "Sexiness Adjudicator" and auditioned Rudd for the title. At 52-years-old, the Marvel Cinematic Universe veteran is the second-oldest person to be crowned "Sexiest Man Alive" after the late Sean Connery, who was pushing 60 when he was honored by the magazine in 1989.

"I'm hoping now that I'll finally be invited to some of those sexy dinners with [George] Clooney and [Brad] Pitt and [Michael] B. Jordan," Rudd joked during an interview for People's cover story on the big news. "And I figure I'll be on a lot more yachts. I'm excited to expand my yachting life. And I'll probably try to get better at brooding in really soft light. I like to ponder. I think this is going to help me become more inward and mysterious. And I'm looking forward to that."

Watch the Colbert sketch (broken up into two parts) below:

Rudd also admitted that his wife, Julie Yaeger, "was stupefied" when she heard the news (being the only person he told beforehand). "But, you know, she was very sweet about it. After some giggling and shock, she said 'Oh, they got it right.' And that was very sweet. She was probably not telling the truth, but what's she going to say?"

He continued: "I'm going to lean into it hard. I'm going to own this. I'm not going to try to be like 'Oh, I'm so modest.' I'm getting business cards made. But all of my friends will destroy me and I expect them to. And that's why they're my friends."

The sexy, Rudd-centric issue of People Magazine hits newsstands this Friday (Nov. 12). Audiences will get to see the actor back on the big screen — and in excellent comedic form — when Ghostbusters: Afterlife arrives in theaters Friday, Nov. 19. Sadly, we'll have to wait until summer 2023 for Scott Lang's Marvel return in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.