Channing Tatum Is People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive

And this year's recipient of People magazine's esteemed Sexiest Man Alive title goes to -- no surprise here -- Channing Tatum.

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The 32-year-old beefcake has had a very big 2012, indeed: first of all, he starred as a male stripper in Steven Soderbergh's Magic Mike, for which opening weekend was like a giant bachelorette party. Then there was the 21 Jump Street remake opposite Jonah Hill, with Tatum revealing hidden comedic chops and an ability to keep up with Hill's antics.

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And proving his romantic drama mettle, Tatum successfully wooed one of the genre's most popular leading ladies, Rachel McAdams, onscreen in The Vow, where he played a strong-but-silent recording studio owner to McAdams' amnesia-addled artist.

Swoon, America did.

"My first thought was, 'Y'all are messing with me,'" Tatum, who wed actress Jenna Dewan-Tatum in 2009, tells People after learning the Sexiest Man news. "I told Jenna after we'd been in the bathtub washing our dogs because they'd gotten skunked."

Tatum, whose next big roles include a Secret Service agent in White House Down and a reprisal of Greg Jenko in 21 Jump Street 2, replaces 2011's Sexiest Man Bradley Cooper.

When Cooper won the title, the website Buzzfeed staged a mock protest in front of People's midtown Manhattan headquarters, demanding the magazine crown hipster heartthrob Ryan Gosling as the Sexiest Man Alive.

Will Gosling supporters revolt anew? One thing is certain: Tatum's victory was inevitable.

Twitter: @ErinLCarlson

Email: erin.carlson@thr.com