Noah Wyle has officially joined the club. The Pitt star was named People’s 2026 Sexiest Man Alive on Tuesday (October 27), and he admitted he didn’t believe it at first.
“Just not in a million years did I think this would be an honor bestowed on me in this lifetime,” Wyle, 55, told People editor-in-chief Charlotte Triggs the news sounded like “a classic set-up for a prank.”
It was his wife, Sara Wells, who convinced him to embrace the title. “She’s the reason I accepted because she was very pleased that this confers well on her taste, I think,” he said. “But also she thinks I’m a good guy and the kind of person I am and the kind of father I am, the kind of husband I am is worth promoting so I thought, okay, if you say so.”
The honor caps a huge year for Wyle. Last month, he won the Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a drama series for his role as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavich on The Pitt, which also took home outstanding drama series. It was his second straight win in the category. Wyle also directs episodes of the HBO Max hit.
Long before The Pitt, Wyle got his big break playing “John Carter” on ER alongside George Clooney, who was named Sexiest Man Alive in 1997 and 2006. The former costars reunited in January at the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, where Clooney presented Wyle with the best TV actor award. At the time, Clooney joked that AARP’s magazine should do a “Sexiest Man Still Alive” issue, adding, “I would nominate Noah Wyle as the first guy,” Variety reported.
Wyle takes over the title from Wicked star Jonathan Bailey, who was named Sexiest Man Alive in 2025. John Krasinski held the title in 2024.
