It seems that People's Sexiest Man Alive, Blake Shelton, is taking his newly minted role quite seriously. In fact, his buddy, American Idol judge Luke Bryan, says Shelton has it boiled it all down to single-word status at this point.

As Bryan related to Access Hollywood: "Last night, I hear my phone go [buzz], and I look over and it's from Blake. And it just says 'sexy' on it."

Amid laughter from fellow judges Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, Bryan added, "He's doing that to everybody! Everybody -- it just says 'sexy.'"

Bryan made sure to give credit where credit was due, however. "I want to go on the record, because I did kind of roast him a little bit -- they leaked [the People award] out to me, like, first. And then the whole world got it, and the whole world started raggin' on Blake. And I'm like, 'Did I start this thing? What have I done?'

"I'm happy for him. I think he embodies country music...he embodies a different class of man. He's not your go-to-the-gym-every-day, washboard-abs pretty boy." (Hey--is that a compliment or not, Luke?)

Bryan still could not let Shelton get off without at least one other goofy dig, though. "I'm getting my own pillowcase of the Blake Shelton cover," he purred jokingly.

Shelton himself seems to find his new role pretty amusing. In an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, he vowed that his ascension to Sexiest Man Alive status would herald the return of the mullet.

13 Hilarious (and Mean) Reactions to Blake Shelton Being Named Sexiest Man

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