Noah Wyle's Sexiest Man Alive pick splits fans, and many say 'The Pitt' co-star Shawn Hatosy 'was right there'

People magazine named Noah Wyle its Sexiest Man Alive for 2026 on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Within hours, the comment section turned into a debate. Longtime ER fans cheered the pick. Others questioned it. And a vocal group of The Pitt viewers said the title should have gone to Wyle’s co-star Shawn Hatosy.

(Our earlier coverage has the announcement and Wyle’s interview with People.)

The pushback

According to The Daily Beast, People’s Instagram post of the cover drew more than 2,700 comments within six hours, and many of the top ones were skeptical. One comment with more than 9,600 likes asked, “Did all the other men die?” Another, with more than 3,000 likes, read, “Even you don’t believe THIS is the sexiest man alive.”

A frequent theme: if People was going to pick someone from The Pitt, why not Hatosy? “How did y’all aim to the right show and MISS COMPLETELY?!?” one commenter wrote, per The Daily Beast. “Shawn Hatosy was right there.”

Who is Shawn Hatosy?

Hatosy, 50, plays Dr. Jack Abbot on HBO’s The Pitt, which stars Wyle as attending physician Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch. CinemaBlend wrote that Abbot “has emerged as one of the show’s breakouts.” It said Hatosy has become “something of a sex symbol” and has said he’s happy to “embrace” that status. Comments CinemaBlend highlighted included “Shawn Hatosy aka Dr Abbot was right there” and “It should have been Shawn Hatosy!”

Hatosy hasn’t publicly weighed in on the debate in the reports we reviewed.

The defenders

The backlash wasn’t the whole story. The Daily Beast noted that the cover still collected more than 62,000 likes, and plenty of fans pushed back on the critics:

• “This one is for the millennials. We love John Carter!” (The Daily Beast)
• “Dr. Carter finally getting the respect he deserves!” (CinemaBlend)
• “He deserves it, he’s an amazing actor and decades without scandal and a good marriage.” (CinemaBlend)

One defender quoted by The Daily Beast argued the title is about more than looks: “It’s about the whole person, not JUST a handsome face or a perfect body.”

CinemaBlend’s writer took a middle path. Hatosy getting the title “wouldn’t have been unreasonable,” Erik Swann wrote, “I’m not mad at Wyle earning it.”

Wyle saw the ribbing coming

Wyle seemed to expect some teasing. He told People the news “sounded like a prank.” “Not in a million years did I think that this would be an honor bestowed on me,” he said, as quoted by The Independent. “I hope this changes everything,” he added with a laugh. “I hope it’s just wine and roses, milk and honey from here on out. No, I don’t, but I am going to take a lot of ribbing from friends and family for sure.”

The George Clooney angle

Fans were quick to bring up Wyle’s ER co-star George Clooney, who won the title in 1997 and 2006. In January, Clooney joked that he’d nominate Wyle if there were ever a “sexiest man still alive” award. “When I grow up, I want to be Noah Wyle,” he said, according to The Daily Beast. One Instagram user predicted, per CinemaBlend, “George Clooney will never let him live this down….” Clooney hadn’t publicly commented on the pick in the coverage we reviewed.

Noah Wyle’s wife

Wyle said his wife, Sara Wells, is the reason he accepted. “She thinks I’m a good guy and that the kind of person that I am and the kind of father I am, the kind of husband I am, is worth promoting,” he told People, as quoted by The Daily Beast. The couple have a daughter, Frances, born in June 2015. Wyle also has two older children, Owen and Auden, with his ex-wife, Tracy Warbin.

Quick facts

FAQ

Earlier coverage: Noah Wyle named People's 2026 Sexiest Man Alive, a year after Jonathan Bailey (Oct 27)