Flavor Flav reflects on ‘Sexiest Men Alive’ honour, 'I was shocked'

Flavor Flav is flattered.

The Fight The Power rapper shared his surprise and excitement after being featured in PEOPLE's 2024 Sexiest Man Alive issue.

In an interview with Rolling Stone published on Dec. 30, the 65-year-old Public Enemy star spoke candidly about his reaction to being recognized on the magazine’s "Sexy at Every Age" list alongside icons like Denzel Washington and Andy Garcia.

"It surprised me big because I don’t feel I’m sexy. I was shocked to see it," Flav admitted.

The rapper recounted a memorable encounter to highlight the contrast between his public perception and the honour.

"There was a lady that came up to me in the airport and said, 'Ooh, Flavor Flav. You so ugly, but I want to take a picture with you.' And you know what I did? I said, 'Okay, come on. Take the picture. Let’s go,'" he shared, emphasizing that he didn’t retaliate to the backhanded comment.

Flav, who has faced unkind remarks about his appearance over the years, took the incident in stride.

"I did not offend her back or anything," he explained, adding that some people have outright labeled him "ugly."

However, when the PEOPLE list was released, Flav took to social media to respond with humor and pride.

Sharing an image of himself in the magazine, he wrote, "People Magazine says otherwise,,, calling me one of the Sexiest Men at any age. Good guy,,, good heart,,, goes a long way. Something you wouldn’t know anything about."

Reflecting on the accolade, Flav expressed how much it meant to him.

"It made me feel real good inside," he told Rolling Stone. "I’m like, 'Wow, how can I be one of the sexiest men alive? You can’t even see my eyes. I got on sunglasses.' But, hey, I ain’t going to lie. I’ll take it."