The news was revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this week. He credits his entire family for supporting him throughout the years. In an interview with People, Jordan recounts his earliest memories of the magazine's yearly announcement:
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When my grandmother was alive, it was something that she collected, and then my mom naturally reads it a lot and my aunts as well. This is one that they're definitely going to have a special place for.
With Jordan now joining the exclusive ridiculously good-looking club of past winners that includes John Legend, David Beckham and Brad Pitt, this marks the fifth time a man of colour takes the title since its inaugural winner in 1985.
What does this means for diversity?
Interestingly, four out of the five last winners have been men of colour which we hadn't seen happen since Denzel Washington in 1996. This proves that we are finally moving towards a more inclusive directionthat allows room for beauty (a topic that is often associated with a struggle faced mostly by women) to come in more nuanced colours while also expanding our notion of gender.
On top of not only being named the sexiest man alive, earlier this year, Jordan was also included in the list of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine. This, really, should come as no surprise considering the actor and producer's long history of activism within the African American rights movement. He also took an active stance in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as the Black Lives Matter movement earlier this year.
Along with his acting and political endeavours, Jordan has also started his own production company, Outlier Society Productions, aiming to include more diverse casts and crews.
Where can you find him now?
The busy actor will star in the upcoming action dramaWithout Remorse, based on the book by Tom Clancy, set to come out in early 2021. He is also working with Ryan Coogler on film adaption of the Atlanta public schools cheating scandal.
Jordan is also set to appear in three other movies totalling an impressive five film productions to come out in the next year.
