Idris Elba named People’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2018

Although the news cycle will be a bit preoccupied with the midterm elections this week, People magazine had another result to share: The name of the 2018 Sexiest Man Alive.

On Monday night, the magazine declared Idris Elba, the beloved British actor, the winner of this year’s title. Jimmy Fallon broke the news on “The Tonight Show,” as he revealed the cover to Elba, who appeared via satellite from London.

“Congratulations on being the sexiest man alive. We have the cover here,” Fallon said. “It refers to you as a sweet, smoldering superstar. Can we see a little smolder?”

Elba, 46, showed off his sweet and smoldering looks, to the delight of the studio audience. He also caught his first glimpse at the cover, and was very pleased.

“It’s amazing, I’m really, really happy with that. Thank you so much, People magazine, for making me sexiest man in the world,” Elba said, flexing a bicep. “My mum is going to be very, very proud.”

Unlike past Sexiest Men Alive (the cover has been a tradition since 1985), Elba doesn’t have a big upcoming project to promote. Elba, who became a star in America after HBO’s “The Wire,” had a memorable part in “Avengers: Infinity War” this year, reprising his role from the “Thor” franchise.

People reported that Elba, a father of two, keeps busy “deejaying in Ibiza, kickboxing in Thailand, or designing his own clothing line, not to mention planning his wedding to his fiancee Sabrina Dhowre, 29, a model.”

Plus, he’s working on the highly-anticipated fifth season of “Luther,” which will reportedly debut on BBC One in the near future. His starring role as a brilliant detective earned him a Golden Globe award and four Emmy nominations.

And while he wasn’t nominated for any awards for his brief stint on NBC’s “The Office,” we feel the need to remind everyone of this classic line: “I am aware of the effect I have on women.”

Elba also recently shot down the persistent rumor that he would be the next actor to play James Bond – but a Sexiest Man Alive title won’t help quiet speculation.

Here are all the previous winners, which includes Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan:

1985: Mel Gibson

1986: Mark Harmon

1987: Harry Hamlin

1988: John F. Kennedy Jr.

1989: Sean Connery

1990: Tom Cruise

1991: Patrick Swayze

1992: Nick Nolte

1993: Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford (sexiest couple)

1994: No one – possible lack of sexiness that year

1995: Brad Pitt

1996: Denzel Washington

1997: George Clooney

1998: Harrison Ford

1999: Richard Gere (again)

2000: Brad Pitt (again)

2001: Pierce Brosnan

2002: Ben Affleck

2003: Johnny Depp

2004: Jude Law

2005: Matthew McConaughey

2006: George Clooney (again)

2007: Matt Damon

2008: Hugh Jackman

2009: Johnny Depp (again)

2010: Ryan Reynolds

2011: Bradley Cooper

2012: Channing Tatum

2013: Adam Levine

2014: Chris Hemsworth

2015: David Beckham

2016: The Rock

2017: Blake Shelton