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01
Winston Duke
As enchanting as the city life was in Wakanda, we couldn’t stop crushing on the king of the mountaintops, M’Baku, played by the equally gorgeous and talented actor Winston Duke. Raise your hand if you caught M’Baku fever in 2018 and your temperature still hasn’t gone down. (*Raises both hands*)
02
Kendrick Sampson
When Issa fell for Lyft Bae on Insecure, so did we. Sultry actor Kendrick Sampson had us refreshing our ride-share apps hoping, just hoping, that he was the next pick up in our car pool. While he didn’t do our girl Issa right onscreen, offscreen Sampson proved to be quite the gentleman and totally worthy of our top man crush Monday spots.
03
Kofi Siriboe
The sultry star of OWN’s Queen Sugar is the reigning King of our hearts. This year, like the last two before it, Siriboe put the hot in chocolate, and his most loyal followers couldn’t take their eyes off his every move both on and offscreen.
04
Omari Hardwick
Fans of STARZ’ gritty hit drama POWER get more and more obsessed with each season, and five seasons in there’s nobody they can’t wait to see more than actor Omari Hardwick as James “Ghost” St. Patrick. Santa, can we get a season 6 early release for Christmas?
05
Idris Elba
When Idris Elba got engaged this year, fans collectively gathered on the internet to mourn the passing of his single days. Now that’s what we call mass heartthrob appeal. Despite being hurt, those same fans helped propel him to the top spot on PEOPLE’s coveted Sexiest Man Alive list.
06
Michael B. Jordan
The women of the world didn’t nickname him Michael “Bae” Jordan for no reason. The screen king blessed us with two big roles in 2018, keeping us glued to our seats in Black Panther and Creed II. Whether you’re here for his smile, his powerful performances or those arms, we know Mr. Jordan was on your 2018 vision board.
07
John David Washington
The cameras love Ballers star John David Washington and, just like his dad Denzel Washington, the actor always brings a sexy intensity onscreen that instantly draws you in and keeps you wanting more. Team Ricky Jerret, forever!
08
Brandon P. Bell
Okay, we admit it. In 2018, our college notebooks were filled with “Mrs. Troy Fairbanks” doodles all over them, because who doesn’t love a guy with brains, beauty and a fit body? In season two of Netflix’s Dear White People, actor Brandon P. Bell’s character Troy reminded us just how much we really want to head back to college.
09
Will Smith
If Michelle Obama is our forever FLOTUS then Will Smith should be deemed forever bae. The actor turned 50 this year proving that he’s aging like fine wine. Smith spent the year encouraging others to live fearlessly and have fun, which only made us love him more. Jada sure knows how to pick ‘em.
10
Quincy Brown
Actor, model and recording artist Quincy Brown gave us all of the holiday feels this season when he starred in The Holiday Calendar on Netflix and made our Christmas even dreamier.
11
Rotimi Akinosho
Of course, Power fans wanted two-faced, back-stabbing drug dealer Andre Coleman to go down, but in real life, fans definitely want the actor (and singer) behind the character, Rotimi Akinosho, to stick around. His winning smile stays on our minds long after his scenes end.
12
Chadwick Boseman
We bought a roundtrip ticket to Wakanda, then got there and realized we wanted to stay and take a seat at the throne next to our king, Chadwick Boseman, who brought the Black Panther to life with all of his glory and swag.
