Noah Wyle Named People's Sexiest Man Alive, and Even He Thought It Was a Prank

People magazine named Noah Wyle its 2026 Sexiest Man Alive on Tuesday, a choice the 55-year-old Pitt star admitted he didn't initially take seriously. "It sounded like a prank," Wyle said of the call, adding that his wife, Sara, had to persuade him the honor was real.

The award caps a resurgent stretch for Wyle, whose performance as an overworked ER physician on The Pitt has earned him two consecutive Emmy wins for lead actor — echoing, decades later, the medical-drama fame he first found as a cast member on ER alongside George Clooney, who has himself won the Sexiest Man Alive title twice.

People's editor-in-chief, Charlotte Triggs, called Wyle "the total package," pointing beyond his acting to his humanitarian and philanthropic work focused on the health care field. The pick drew a notably mixed reaction online, with some commentators questioning the choice and others defending it as overdue recognition for an actor whose career has spanned more than three decades. Wyle succeeds Jonathan Bailey, last year's winner, and follows John Krasinski, who held the title in 2024.