The American actor, 45, told the magazine he thought he was being punked when he first heard the news.
“Just immediate blackout, actually. Zero thoughts,” Krasinski said.
“That's not how I wake up, thinking, ‘Is this the day that I'll be asked to be Sexiest Man Alive?’ And yet it was the day you guys did it. You guys have really raised the bar for me.”
Krasinski, best known for his role as Jim Halpert in the US iteration of The Office, has been married to actress Emily Blunt for 14 years, and said she was “very excited” when she heard the news.
“There was a lot of joy involved in me telling her,” he told the magazine.
The declaration was as divisive as ever, with people sounding off in the comments of the announcement on Instagram.
“Ok so … we were robbed,” wrote one commenter, while another said “That certainly is... a choice.”
Krasinski has taken the title from the reigning Sexiest Man Alive, Patrick Dempsey, whose 2023 win also left many people up in arms. Image: People Magazine
