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
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.’ ”
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.
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.
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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.
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