On the Nov. 9 episode of The Late Show, host Stephen Colbert revealed who PEOPLE has deemed their Sexiest Man Alive for 2021, and it’s none other than… drumroll, please… Paul Rudd! The 52-year-old, adorably swoon-worthy actor got his breakthrough gig in the timeless 1995 comedy Clueless and has gone on to star in dozens and dozens of movies, including such beloved films as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, I Love You, Man, Our Idiot Brother and This Is 40. He’s also portrayed Ant-Man in Marvel’s Avengers franchise and will soon star in the new Ghostbusters: Afterlife, as well as the Apple TV series The Shrink Next Door. Colbert put Rudd through his paces before anointing him PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive, testing the star’s “sexy slump” and asking him questions like when he first knew he was sexy. (Rudd’s hilarious answer? When he was a baby because “my diaper was a thong. Looking back, obviously that’s very sexy, but I just thought it was… French.”) In the extended sketch, Rudd also had to pose as a sexy construction worker and a sexy monk (when Colbert instructed him to “dance for the Lord”) and a sexy, um, guy pouring water on himself. At the end of all that, Colbert informed Rudd that he’d “tested negative for sexy,” but as the actor was walking away, the late-night host had one last surprise for him. “There’s nothing sexier than humility! That was the last test. and you passed, Paul! You passed,” Colbert said. “You’re sexy! Paul, you’re the sexiest man alive!” After Rudd was finally, officially announced as PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive of 2021, Colbert revealed his official PEOPLE Sexiest Man Alive cover—as did the magazine’s official social media accounts just moments later. Elsewhere on Twitter (where Rudd now has his own “Sexiest Man Alive” hashtag and emoji), reactions poured in from Rudd fans who felt the honor was well-deserved, as well as others who couldn’t believe the crown wasn’t handed to a different Hollywood hunk. In an interview with the mag, Rudd made it known that he doesn’t consider his brand of self-deprecating charm to be what most people might consider sexy—but claimed that he’s going to “own this” anyway. “I do have an awareness [that] when people hear that I’d be picked for this, they would say, ‘What?’” Rudd said. “There are so many people that should get this before me.” In fact, he even said that his wife is among those stupefied by his 2021 win. “After some giggling and shock, she said ‘Oh, they got it right,’” Rudd said. “She was probably not telling the truth, but what’s she going to say?” Colbert also announced that Rudd would be stopping by The Late Show on Monday, Nov. 15, presumably to humbly talk some more about his coveted new accolade. Next, Ghostbusters Then and Now! See the Original Cast Today and the New Stars of Ghostbusters: Afterlife
