Move over, Captain America. Last night on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Patrick Dempsey’s official reign as People’s Sexiest Man Alive was announced.
While it is hard to believe that McDreamy has never previously been awarded the iconic title of People’s Sexiest Man, it is better late than never.
Kimmel joked that People magazine was letting Dempsey age like a fine wine before they gave him the honor. Dempsey has come close to achieving the Sexiest Man Alive title many times before — Kimmel even showed that Dempsey got a small photo on the cover one year when George Clooney nabbed the title, and when Matt Damon took the title. (Clooney, Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt remain the only men who have been awarded “People’s Sexiest Man” not once, but twice.)
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He told People in his cover-story interview that when he got the news, “I was completely shocked, and then I started laughing, like, this is a joke, right? I’ve always been the bridesmaid!”
He told Kimmel his family had a similar response. You can watch Dempsey’s appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” below:
As for Dempsey, he says the attention is nice, but he plans to use it for a good cause.
“I’m glad it’s happening at this point in my life,” the 57-year-old star told People. “It’s nice to have the recognition, and certainly my ego takes a little bump, but it gives me the platform to use it for something positive.”
Introducing PEOPLE’s 2023 #SexiestManAlive, Patrick Dempsey.
https://t.co/4eYnCAG1Zr pic.twitter.com/5V0xVblnaE
— People (@people) November 8, 2023
Dempsey is referring to the Dempsey Center, his nonprofit that supports people with a cancer diagnosis. His mother’s long (and ultimately fatal) cancer battle deeply touched her only son, and he founded the organization in 2008 to help families in similar situations. In the years following, the nonprofit has raised $18 million, all of which has gone directly to patient care.
“There’s so many people diagnosed with cancer. We need something in the community and that’s how the Dempsey Center started … We wanted it to feel like a hug. We all want to be hugged,” says Dempsey in an interview with biotech company Amgen. “We want to be loved. And I think that’s why we’re here ultimately is, ‘How do we take care of each other?'”
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