May the sexiest TV host win!
The competition for the coveted title in PEOPLE’s Reader’s Choice poll has heated up, particularly between candidates Jimmy Fallon and Mark Consuelos.
During The Tonight Show on Wednesday, Sept. 25, Fallon, 50, jokingly released a campaign ad attacking Consuelos, 53, in which he called his competition an “illegitimate candidate” and smeared him for being overly attractive.
The video was shared on Instagram in a collaborative post with the talk show’s account, Fallon, Consuelos, Kelly Ripa, and the Live With Kelly and Mark account.
“Earlier this week, I asked Mark Consuelos to drop out of the race,” Fallon said on his show. “He doesn’t need this. He’s sexy every day. I don’t even get on these lists at all … Anyways, I guess he caught wind of what I said [and] he decided to address it on his show.”
The Emmy winner then played a clip from a recent episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, in which Consuelos and his wife and co-host Ripa discussed the “consequential election.”
“He asked if I could step aside,” Consuelos said in the clip, which also featured segments from a campaign ad instructing viewers to vote for Consuelos in the category.
Mark Consuelos/Instagram
“I tried to be the bigger person,” Fallon declared when the video ended. “I tried to take the high road. But when you mess with a man’s dignity, when you question his sexiness, you leave that man with no choice. So I’ve begun running ads across the country to defend my honor. I literally sunk hundreds of dollars of my own money into this.”
Fallon then cued up his attack ad, with a dramatic voiceover making declarations such as, “Mark Consuelo says he’s the sexiest TV host, but look at the facts. If Mark’s so sexy, then why has his wife been on Jimmy’s show eight times? Jimmy’s wife hasn’t been on the show once.”
“Does Mark Consuelos really have big muscles? Some say he just wears children’s shirts,” it continued.
Throughout the ad, there are edited photos of Consuelos with defamatory captions, such as “Mark Consuel-who?” and “illegitimate candidate.”
Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty
“He’s not even a host. He’s a co-host,” the video stated before referencing Consuelos’ 2023 win for a similar title. “Plus, Mark Consuelos was already voted PEOPLE Magazine’s Sexiest Morning Host, can we really afford to go back?”
Additionally, the ad poked fun at Consuelos’ age, stating that Fallon “just turned 50,” whereas Consuelos is “pushing 54.”
“Good luck on The Golden Bachelorette, bud,” the narrator said.
The new campaign ad ended with a call to vote for Fallon for Sexiest TV Host in the poll, which closes on Friday, Sept. 27.
“I never wanted things to escalate this way, but here we are,” Fallon said after the video concluded. “I don’t even care about this competition. There’s bigger problems in this world. But if my fans want to go to People.com by scanning this QR code and voting Jimmy Fallon for Sexiest TV Host, that’s their business. Who am I to get in the way of that? It’s a free country.”
“Good luck to all of you and God bless the United States,” he host said.
Lorenzo Bevilaqua/Disney General Entertainment
Consuelos responded to the ad with a cheeky comment on social media, writing, “Jimmy!!! I voted for you. My mom voted for you. You’re a shoe-in.”
Fallon started the feud on the Sept. 18 episode of his show, during which he issued a plea to his fellow nominees to drop out of the race. “I’m up against Seth Meyers, Mario Lopez and Mark Consuelos. Yuck!” he told the audience, before explaining why each of his competitors should bow out of the race. “I’m very honored, but Seth would let me have this… He would want me to have this. He’s a younger dude — let grandpa have one thing.”
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Narrowing the competition down to Lopez and Consuelos, he continued, “Mark Consuelos, I’m going to ask you right now, please remove your name from the ballot of PEOPLE’s Sexiest [TV Host]” before arguing that Lopez may let him “have it” given that he’s been a guest on The Tonight Show.
A few days later, Consuelos addressed the plea on his ABC talk show, saying, “I love Jimmy, I really do love Jimmy. He’s such a great guy. And over the weekend, I was considering it. I’m like, ‘You know what, maybe I should pledge my support.’ ”
But then he “reconsidered” and decided to stay in the competition.
“If I don’t win, I would love for Jimmy to win,” he added.
PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive Readers’ Choice Poll closes on Sept. 27, so be sure to cast your vote for Sexiest TV Host, Sexiest Summer Action Star, 2024’s Sexiest Heartthrob and more.
