Beauty is in the eye of the beholder… and the internet, so it seems.

‘Tis the season for People to declare its Sexiest Man Alive again, igniting the annual debate over the accuracy of their choice.

The honor for 2023 goes to Patrick Dempsey, the Grey’s Anatomy star, a choice that many have found to be fitting despite formidable competition in the race.

Patrick Dempsey was crowned 2023’s sexiest man alive by People

Image credits: Alessandra Benedetti – Corbis/Corbis/ Getty Images

The actor who rose to popularity two decades ago as the neurosurgeon Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd on ABC’s drama quickly achieved heartthrob status, earning him the pages in a handful of magazines, but this time, he was crowned the sexiest.

“I’m glad it’s happening at this point in my life,” Patrick 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,” he added.

Image credits: CARTER SMITH

The Dempsey Center, an institution that provides free quality-of-life care to people impacted by cancer, holds a special place in the actor’s heart.

The 57-year-old Maine native established the center in memory of his late mother, Amanda, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1997.

“I was completely shocked,” Patrick admitted

Image credits: People

Upon learning he had been titled sexiest man alive, Patrick said: “I was completely shocked, and then I started laughing, like, this is a joke, right? I’ve always been the bridesmaid!

“I’d completely forgotten about it and never even contemplated being in this position. So my ego is good.”

The dad-of-three admitted he thought his children were “just going to make fun of him and pick on him and figure out every reason why he shouldn’t be.”

“Which is good, they keep me young,” Patrick joked.

You can watch People’s interview with Patrick below:

Durent a recent appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel Live Show, Patrick revealed that he had been asked to sign an NDA to keep his new title secret. 

He said: “You’re not allowed to talk about it at all, so everybody signs these disclosures where you’re not allowed to say what we’re doing.” 

Image credits: Jimmy Kimmel Live

Naturally, in the age of the internet and social media, Patrick’s newly earned title sparked huge debates online.

Patrick revealed that he had to sign an NDA with People on Jimmy Kimmel Live

There’s been a particular buzz expressing anticipation for another winner, namely Pedro Pascal.

While he made his debut in 2011 with Game of Thrones, the Chilean-American actor has notably expanded his fanbase in recent years through his contributions to popular shows like Narcos, The Mandalorian, and The Last of Us.

Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) under People’s official announcement post, individuals voiced their disappointment.

“Pedro Pascal was robbed,” an X user wrote.

Another person commented “He’ll always be McDreamy but this year should have gone to Pedro Pascal. He was robbed.”

A third person chimed in: “Was Pedro Pascal busy or something because the maths aren’t mathing on this.”

As this was Patrick’s first time receiving the accolades, while Pedro is still waiting for the same praise, some men have been crowned sexiest man twice.

Fans of Pedro Pascal felt he had been robbed from the title

Image credits: Jason LaVeris/ Getty Images

In fact, there are only four actors who have adorned the annual cover on two distinct occasions.

As per Insider, Brad Pitt was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive for the first time in 1995, before being crowned again in 2000, shortly after he stole the show in “Fight Club”, becoming the first man to earn the title twice.

Image credits: Glenn Francis

Richard Gere shared his first cover with his then-wife, supermodel Cindy Crawford when he was titled the Sexiest Man Alive for being part of the Sexiest Couple Alive.

At the age of 50, six years after his initial accolade, Richard earned the title once more, this time posing alone for his own cover.

Richard Gere was one of the four actors to receive the sexiest man alive title twice

Image credits: John Mathew Smith

George Clooney earned his first Sexiest Man Alive cover while portraying Dr. Doug Ross on the medical drama ER.

The actor went on to be crowned for a second time in 2006, the same year he won best supporting actor at the Oscars for his movie Syriana.

Image credits: White House/Pete Souza

Johnny Depp received this title twice

Image credits: nicogenin

Finally, Johnny Depp landed his first cover in 2003 as he portrayed the iconic Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, before being titled sexiest man again in 2009 after starring in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.

While Patrick fans were delighted by the news, others believed that Pedro Pascal deserved the title

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