People names Noah Wyle, star of The Pitt, its Sexiest Man Alive for 2026

The announcement

People has named Noah Wyle its Sexiest Man Alive for 2026. Berliner Zeitung reports that the magazine has handed out the title since 1985, with past winners including Mel Gibson, Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp. El País dates the announcement to 27 October 2026 and says the magazine cited Wyle's captivating intensity and a film-star look. Wyle succeeds Jonathan Bailey, who was named for 2025 and, according to Ziare and El País, became the first openly gay man to receive the title.

A surprise, and a wife's persuasion

Wyle told People that he initially assumed the news was a prank and never imagined he would receive such an honour. According to People, as relayed by several outlets, his wife, Sara Wells, convinced him he deserved it. El País gives her age as 46 and says the couple have been married since 2014. She reportedly said he is a good man and that his character as a father and husband deserved to be recognised. N-tv reports that Wyle admitted he would never have called himself the sexiest man in the world, and that he expects a steady stream of teasing from family and friends.

Home life and a photo shoot

Il Messaggero reports that in August Wyle's wife arrived at a set built on an estate above the sea in Malibu, together with their eleven-year-old daughter and the family's chocolate Labrador. During a video shot for social media, Wyle cooked his daughter's favourite eggs, tidied the kitchen and folded laundry. His wife says he does the same at their home in Los Angeles. Notícias ao Minuto reports that he enjoys making breakfast, walking the dogs and washing up, which he calls therapeutic, and he urged more men to take it up. The couple have three children.

Career and The Pitt

Wyle became known as Dr John Carter in ER, which aired between 1994 and 2009 according to El País, and whose final episode aired in 2009 according to Ziare. Across the run he received three Golden Globe nominations and five Emmy nominations, but he never won. He returned to hospital drama as Dr Michael "Robby" Robinavitch in HBO's The Pitt, set in an emergency room in Pittsburgh per Berliner Zeitung. El País reports that the role brought him the 2026 Golden Globe for best actor in a TV drama and two consecutive Emmys for best actor in a drama series, in 2025 and 2026. Season 3 is scheduled to premiere in January 2027.

Clooney and the tradition

Wyle shared the ER set with George Clooney, who was named Sexiest Man Alive in 1997 and 2006, according to N-tv and 20 Minuten. Berliner Zeitung reports that People put Wyle on a 1990s cover titled as the "Sexy Men of ER" alongside Clooney and other cast members, and that the magazine now admits, with a wink, it had apparently overlooked him for years. Ziare reports that in January, at the AARP Movies for Grownups awards, Clooney joked that the organisation should honour the sexiest man still alive and said he would nominate Wyle first. El País lists earlier winners including Michael B. Jordan (2020), Paul Rudd (2021), Chris Evans (2022), Patrick Dempsey (2023) and John Krasinski (2024).