Some people dream of this title. Noah Wyle assumed someone was pulling his leg.
People magazine named the 55-year-old actor its Sexiest Man Alive for 2026 on 27 October, taking over from Wicked star Jonathan Bailey. “I thought that sounded like a prank,” Wyle told the magazine. “Just not in a million years did I think that this would be an honor bestowed on me.”
From Dr. Carter to Dr. Robby
A whole generation knows Wyle as Dr. John Carter, the young doctor he played for years on ER in the 1990s and 2000s, alongside George Clooney. Today he's back in scrubs as the lead of HBO's The Pitt, a hospital drama told almost in real time across one long shift. The show won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in September, and Wyle has won the Emmy for best lead actor in a drama twice in a row for it.
A homebody with a labrador
Wyle described himself to People as a homebody. On his days off he makes breakfast for his wife, Sara, and their 11-year-old daughter, Frances, writes in a journal, exercises, reads and walks his chocolate lab, Lily. Lily, very sensibly, ended up in a lot of the magazine's photos.
He also has two grown-up children from his first marriage, Owen and Auden. Their reactions were very family-like. His son was practical about the news, and he expects his older daughter to tease him about it “for the next 50 years”. It was Sara who finally talked him into enjoying the moment.
Not everyone agreed
The internet being the internet, some commenters argued that his co-star Shawn Hatosy deserved the title instead. Still, People's announcement on Instagram collected more than 80,000 likes, and plenty of fans of a certain age were simply happy to see Dr. Carter get his moment.
Season three of The Pitt is due on HBO Max in January 2027.