Riley Green’s reign for “Sexiest Country Star Alive” will sadly come to an end at some point in 2026.
Although he’ll forever be a fan favorite man crush for many, unfortunately, his title, voted on by a readers’ choice poll and named by People Magazine, is going to be dethroned. This past October, the Alabama-bred singer-songwriter was chosen amongst his competitors, Cody Johnson, Shaboozey, and Warren Zeiders.
In a recent interview with Rob Stone and Holly Hutton from Totally Private, hosted by Audacy, of course, the question of Green’s legacy was brought up. Before hitting the stage at Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville, they ended the interview by playing a game of “Change My Mind,” where Green attempted to change the hosts’ minds on various topics. The last being: “Riley Green is the sexiest man alive. Change my mind.”
Green pauses before putting in his petition, saying,“Man, have y’all seen fit Jelly Roll now?” Adding, “My mama would never let me get tattoos anywhere much less on my face, so he’s got that mysterious thing about him. He’s a brand new man.”
Apparently, Green’s got a thing for the bad boys, shouting out his 2023 collaboration partner on the song “Copenhagen in a Cadillac” off of his second studio album, Aint My Last Rodeo. Beyond having an art museum of tattoos throughout his body, Jelly Rolly has also lost almost 300 pounds since starting his weight loss journey.
Shockingly weighing in at 380 pounds in February 2025, which was 160 pounds down from his heaviest in 2020, the star has achieved his transformation through rigorous diet and exercise alone. Jelly Roll has been adamant about avoiding weight loss prescriptions by instead completely changing his lifestyle. Previously struggling with a crippling food addiction, he now jogs daily and incorporates a mix of basketball and boxing into his routine.
The 3 time Grammy award winner is also no stranger to celebrating his ginormous wins, as he recently achieved his goal of being the cover of Men’s Health Magazine this past January 2026. As for a potential People magazine feature, Riley gave his stamp of approval, saying, “I’d vote for him.”
Jokingly, host Rob also asked who passed the torch to Green, to which the “Worst Way” singer responded with 1996 Sexiest Man Alive, “Probably Denzel Washington, I imagine. That’s how it played out in my head.” Maybe People will hear this transformation-driven nomination and take it into consideration, but time will only tell who the readers choose as their next country star to gawk at.
Watch the full interview here: