Past Sexiest Men Alive Play ‘Pass the Phone’ Before 2025’s Cover Star Is Revealed (Exclusive)

Ring, ring … a Sexiest Man Alive is calling!

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Sexiest Man Alive, we asked former cover stars to call up their constituents for the “pass the phone” trend. The end result — essentially the hottest FaceTime ever — leaves viewers guessing who will be next to pick up the phone. (The wait won’t be long. This year’s Sexiest Man Alive will be revealed on the PEOPLE app and on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon tonight Monday, Nov. 3 at 11:35 pm ET.)

Patrick Dempsey, who nabbed the title in 2023, kicks things off: “Hello everybody, it’s 40 years of PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive and now I’m about to hand the phone off to another sexy man, and here you go.”

Blake Shelton (2017) picks up from his tour bus and quickly passes it off to his former costar on The Voice: John Legend (2019).

Legend’s call is answered from … a pantry? Harry Hamlin (1987), who sells Harry’s Famous Pasta Saucehands “it off to the next guy.” We bet you can guess who Idris Elba (2018) is passing the phone to just by this description: “You know, this guy, he made beating on his chest sexy. He did the whole thing.”

Of course, it’s Matthew McConaughey (2005) who picks up before offering a toast of his Pants Tequila to Dwayne Johnson (2016), who owns Teremana Tequila.

“I am passing the phone to a Sexiest Man Alive, who used to be a stripper and a mortgage broker,” says Johnson.

Channing Tatum (2012) hands it off to “the first-ever Canadian Sexiest Man Alive” — but not before sharing the wisdom he once received from him about taking on such a serious title.

“He used to tell me every day, before he was the Sexiest Man Alive, that maple syrup, Canadian maple syrup facials every single morning and evening would make you look glowy and dewy,” says Tatum. “I just didn’t believe him and now I do because it obviously worked for him.”

Ryan Reynolds (2010) has the honor of calling 2025’s Sexiest Man Alive. He can’t help but share some more sage advice: “Just be judicious about, you know, where you get your lips done. You don’t do it at a gas station… Right before my shoot, for the magazine cover, of course, I had that done at a Mobil station and I shouldn’t have done that. So good luck, godspeed.”

See the sexy face behind the “No Caller ID” on Monday, Nov. 3 at 11:35 pm Go ahead, set a phone alarm why dontcha.