New York Times reporter Michael Barbaro was a little surprised, it seems, when he learned that People magazine had selected Andrew Cuomo as one of its “Sexiest Men Alive” for the 25th anniversary of their much-hyped issue. First, Barbaro called People executive editor Liz Sporkin and asked her: How could this have happened? What is it about the Boxer-faced future governor that makes him so … steamy? (Imaginary pause added by your Intel editors, who could not get the sentence out all in one go themselves.) “His many years of public service make him sexy,” she said. Aha! The old Robert Byrd sexiness. That we understand.
Cuomo, speaking to Barbaro in what he called his “sexiest man voice,” was sure to make note of the fact that his younger brother — the fitness buff and ABC News on-air personality — did not make the list. Chris had made it once before, back in 1997, at which point he made the photograph from the magazine into his Christmas card. “I thought it was a little much, actually,” Andy recalled to the Times.
For his part, Chris was quick to point out that he has “repeatedly turned down invitations to appear in sexiest-men issues” because it interferes with the serious work he does on shows like Good Morning America, where he covers issues like his own workout regimen and what’s going on with Jon and Kate. “I am happy for my brother, the governor-elect, and his so-called sexiness,” Chris groused. “It must be comforting for him to receive kudos from someone other than our mother, who favors him.”
