From the Magazine Sexiest Man Alive Dax Shepard Recalls Bradley Cooper Thinking 'Sexiest Man Alive' Title Was a 'Prank': 'No Idea How Horny Everybody Is for You' Cooper previously opened up about his insecurities with the title in 2012 and on Shepard's podcast 'Armchair Expert' in 2021 By Brendan Le Brendan Le Brendan Le is an Editorial Assistant at PEOPLE with three years of experience working as an editor and writer. People Editorial Guidelines and Mary Park Mary Park Mary S. Park is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. She has been writing about entertainment, celebrity and lifestyle for over a decade. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 28, 2024 07:30PM EDT Comments Bradley Cooper and Dax Shepard. Photo: Gareth Cattermole/BAFTA/Getty; Charley Gallay/Getty Bradley Cooper couldn’t believe he was 2011’s Sexiest Man Alive at first, according to his close friend Dax Shepard. During an onstage conversation at the 25th annual New Yorker Festival in New York City, Shepard, 49, testified to the 49-year-old actor’s humility, recalling Cooper’s reaction to receiving the title of PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive. “He genuinely thought when he was named Sexiest Man Alive that it was a bit — that PEOPLE Magazine was pulling a prank,” the Armchair Expert host told moderator Tyler Foggatt. “He thought they were f------ with him.” Shepard continued, “I’m like, ‘You handsome son of a bitch. You have no idea how horny everybody is for you.’ ” 'I'm Still the Sexiest': Everything PEOPLE's Past Sexiest Man Alive Winners Have Said About the Title Dax Shepard and Bradley Cooper at the 'Hit and Run' L.A. premiere on Aug. 14, 2012. Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock The podcaster referenced Cooper’s disbelief as evidence that “we all are so hard on ourselves.” “I'm interviewing people who are either acclaimed academics or politicians or movie stars. They are very high-status people, and almost without exception, the beautiful people think they're ugly, smart people think they're dumb, the rich people feel like they don't have enough,” Shepard explained. Shepard and Cooper have remained close since Will Arnett introduced them in 2006. In 2021, the Maestro actor joined Shepard on Armchair Expert and opened up about his insecurities over his looks. He admitted that he thought the call from his publicist about the title was a "joke" planned by Shepard. "Oh, this is not going to be good," the actor recalled feeling. "Everybody's gonna be like: What? And the truth is, that is what happened." Cooper cited a less-than-enthusiastic reaction to the announcement and a protest for Ryan Gosling to take over. Bradley Cooper Confides in Dax Shepard About a 'Person' Who's Seen Him Cry 'Probably 150 Times in the Last Year' Bradley Cooper is PEOPLE's 2011 Sexiest Man Alive In 2011, after being crowned Sexiest Man Alive, Cooper told PEOPLE, “I think it’s really cool that a guy who doesn’t look like a model can have this [title].” The Hangover star remained modest about his looks, adding that he believes he’s “decent-looking.” “Sometimes I can look great, and other times I look horrifying,” he quipped. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Cooper — who was single at the time — also confessed that he didn’t consider himself “a ladies’ man.” “If you’re a single man and you happen to be in this business, you’re deemed a player,” he stated. But Cooper’s first thought when he learned he would receive the title was, “My mother is going to be so happy.” PEOPLE's next Sexiest Man Alive will be revealed Nov. 12. Close