Awards season is finally kicking off this year. OK, I know when we are talking about awards season, we’re typically talking about the likes of the Oscars and other ceremonies, but if you think about it, what really kicks off awards season is the Sexiest Man Alive award. Coming out in November, it’s been a thing for decades now and in 2020 Michael B. Jordan has been handed the title. So how does he feel about being called the Sexiest Man Alive?
Good thing he was asked. The laud, which has been given out yearly by People Magazine since 1985 (when Mel Gibson won the award), has changed a lot over the years, but it has been coming down the pipeline in November for over a decade now. Last year, John Legend won the award. This year, Michael B. Jordan took over the title and he says he’s in good company.
It's a cool feeling. You know, everybody always made that joke, like, ‘Mike, this is the one thing you’re probably not going to get.' But it’s a good club to be a part of.
Recent inductees include the aforementioned John Legend, as well as Idris Elba and Dwayne Johnson. Probably the most memorable Sexiest Man Alive award in recent memory went to Blake Shelton in 2017. Shelton is very popular, of course, but some questioned his sex appeal, prompting him to troll around on the Internet a little. I mean, there’s even a full “Mean Tweets” segment about the flack he took on the Internet for this.
Something tells me Michael B. Jordan won’t have this issue. He finds the whole thing pretty cool, as noted prior, but more importantly he says he has a personal connection to the title via his grandmother, also telling People:
[They] are definitely proud of this one. When my grandmother was alive, it was something that she collected, and then my mom naturally reads it a lot and my aunts as well. This is one that they’re definitely going to have a special place for.
The Sexiest Man Alive Award takes into account a person’s physique, of course, but also just their celebrity profile and some of the stuff they have done to influence culture in the past year. Michael B. Jordan had some big roles recently (mostly in 2019), but in 2020 he’s been more about activism and doing good works during the pandemic.
He’s been at the forefront of spearheading inclusion riders in Hollywood and has also used his popularity to promote diversity in the industry in general. He’s also spoken out about how he feels justice is something he’d like to bring into his work to inspire the next generation, as well. And he even helped set up a drive-in event for families (his first time at the drive-in!) that had been stuck at home for months.
So this year The Sexiest Man Alive award may be less about his body or his body of work and more about his appetite for change in the industry. Though I’m sure staying fit for roles like the reported Creed 3 helps.
