Chris Evans is named Sexiest Man Alive and social media celebrates: 'Finally'

(Screenshot: People magazine via Instagram)
Chris Evans is People magazine's 2022 Sexiest Man Alive. (Screenshot: People magazine via Instagram)

Chris Evans is really, truly and officially People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive.

The announcement was made on Monday's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that one-time Captain America landed the title after a few close misses in past years.

The 41-year-old actor wasn't there in person, making it a bit anticlimactic, but former Sexiest Man Alive Dwayne Johnson, who the Avengers franchise star is currently working with in the Christmas action movie Red One, helped pass the sash in a humorous video.

Evans, who was reportedly close to winning the honors in 2020 and 2021, used his platform to remind Americans to vote today.

His good looks, sense of humor, big screen presence, love of furry friends and dedication to civic engagement, via his A Starting Point platform, are just a few of the reasons people are celebrating the news. Here are some of the reactions — the happy, the elated, the thirsty:

Yvette Nicole Brown says she knew it.

However, perhaps no one is more excited than Evans's mom, Lisa, who told People: "I am not surprised at all. Our family will be beside themselves."

Last year, when Paul Rudd was given the title it was originally reported, via Page Six, that the Lightyear star would be the pick. Obviously it didn't pan out. Evans was also reportedly in discussions to be the guy in 2020 — when Michael B. Jordan won. However, it was determined to wait a year (or two!) because Evans posted a NSFW photo to social media, so the timing wasn't great.

Evans — who has previously dated Jessica Biel, Jenny Slate and Minka Kelly — talked about wanting to settle down ... eventually.

"That's absolutely something I want," he said. "Wife, kids, building a family. When you read about most of the best artists, whether it's actors, painters, writers, most of them [admit] it wasn't the work they made [that they are most proud of], it was about the relationships, the families they created, the love they found, the love they shared. So it's also something through my long 41 years that also rings true. Those things are the most important. I love the idea of tradition and ceremony, I had a lot of that in my life so the idea of creating that, I can't think of anything better."

People named its first Sexiest Man Alive in 1985 — and it was Mel Gibson. Others have included Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Idris Elba, John Legend and Johnny Depp.