Paul Rudd Jokes He's 'The Wrong Guy' To Give Advice to the Sexiest Man Alive—Despite Being SMA in 2021! (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Paul Rudd attends the photocall for “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” at Claridge’s Hotel on March 21, 2024 in London, England.Photo:Joe Maher/Getty

Joe Maher/Getty

Three years after being crownedPEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive, Paul Rudd isstillhaving a hard time accepting the title.

TheAnt-Manactor caught up with PEOPLE at his11th annual All-Star Bowling Benefit for the Stuttering Association for the Young, and when asked if he had any tips for this year’s SMA — who will be revealed on Nov. 12 — Rudd all but laughed.

“Well, I think I’m the wrong guy to ask for that kind of advice!” he said. “But I can’t wait to see who it is.”

Paul Rudd as PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2021.Alexei Hay

Rudd, 55, was crownedSexiest Man Alivein 2021, telling PEOPLE at the time that he did “have an awareness enough to know that when people hear that I’d be picked for this, they would say, ‘What?’ This is not false humility. There are so many people that should get this before me.”

Still, Rudd is looking forward to seeing which man will soon be joining him in PEOPLE’s hall of handsome hunks.

“I am very excited to stand on the sidelines and just bask in their sexiness,” he says.

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Chris Evansserved as Rudd’s successor in 2022, whilePatrick Dempsey enjoyed the titlemost recently.

“I’m glad it’s happening at this point in my life,” Dempsey, 58, told PEOPLE last year. “It’s nice to have the recognition, and certainly my ego takes a little bump, but it gives me the platform to use it for something positive.”

Patrick Dempsey as PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2023.Carter Smith

Carter Smith

For theFerraristar, that meant raising awareness forthe Dempsey Center, which he founded in honor of his late mom to support cancer patients and their loved ones.

Rudd, meanwhile, is passionate about helping children who stutter. He’s been involved withSAYsince 2006, when he portrayed a character with a stutter in Broadway’sThree Days of Rain.

Paul Rudd (C) poses with guests at his 11th Annual All-Star Bowling Benefit at Bowlero Chelsea Piers on October 21, 2024 in New York City.Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

“I didn’t really know much about [stuttering] and I wanted to do a decent job, so I thought I should talk to somebody who stutters,” Rudd told PEOPLE at his bowling benefit.

After doing a quick search online, Rudd discoveredTaro Alexanderand decided to reach out to the New York City–basedSAYfounder.

source: people.com