Move over Chris Evans, New England has a new Sexiest Man Alive.
People announced its pick for the 2023 Sexiest Man Alive Tuesday night, revealing that Lewiston, Maine, native Patrick Dempsey is the choice for the magazine’s annual honor. At 57, the former “Grey’s Anatomy” star told People he’s happy the appreciation for his good looks is “happening at this point” in his life.
“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,” Dempsey told the magazine.
“McDreamy” (as he was nicknamed on “Grey’s Anatomy”) takes over for “Captain America” star and Sudbury native Chris Evans, who was named last year’s Sexiest Man Alive. Dempsey is the fourth actor from New England to receive the honor, with Ben Affleck earning the title in 2002 and Matt Damon taking the crown in 2007.
Dempsey stopped by “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Tuesday night to celebrate the announcement, with the late-night host joking that it’s been a long time coming for Dempsey, who has appeared on previous Sexiest Man Alive covers, but only as an also-ran. This time around, Dempsey finally gets to be the main event.
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“Never give up on a dream,” Dempsey jokingly told Kimmel. The late-night host proceeded to play a funny clip from 2010 featuring Dempsey as he pretended to overreact to Ryan Reynolds winning the honor that year.
Kimmel also asked Dempsey if Evans called to concede the Sexiest Man Alive title, but so far, it sounds like the New England heartthrobs haven’t chatted.
“No, I haven’t spoke to him yet,” Dempsey said. “I’m hoping when I get off stage tonight I’ll get a call.”
Dempsey is set to star in two upcoming films this year, the Plymouth-set horror flick “Thanksgiving,” out Nov. 17, and the racing drama “Ferrari,” out Dec. 25.
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While his fans may fawn over the announcement, Dempsey admits that there’s one demographic who isn’t impressed with the honor: his kids.
“They laughed, quite hard,” Dempsey told Kimmel of his family’s reaction to the news. “They were like, ‘Seriously, who is it?’ I’m like, ‘No, it’s me.’ Reality came crashing in.”
Prior to Dempsey and Evans, actor Paul Rudd was named People’s 2021 Sexiest Man Alive, while “Creed” star Michael B. Jordan took the title in 2020.
Matt Juul can be reached at matthew.juul@globe.com.