"This is a tremendous honor," Levine said while accepting his honor - basically just a mirror - from host Kimmel.
"A lot of people kind of trivialize this sort of thing. They say it's shallow, they think it's just a silly media stunt used to sell magazines and to perpetuate the image of Hollywood being based on looks, and that's totally true. It is. But I'm completely cool with that," Levine joked. "This award means everything to me."
Growing into someone so "cool, confident and seductive" has been "quite a journey," but not one he made alone. He has his "mother and father, both incredibly sexy," to thank for helping him get here - "especially my dad, thanks man," Levine said.
And to "Ryan Gosling, thanks for turning this down constantly, that really helped my campaign."
The idea of Gosling refusing to be named People's Sexiest Man Alive would definitely ease the minds of those who were stunned to see that their favorite meme-friendly actor had been overlooked for the top title yet again.
"I love Adam. But um, @RyanGosling, anyone?" tweeted "Community's" Yvette Nicole Brown. "C'mon now, #PeopleMagazine!"
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