Seth Meyers Ribs 'The Basement Yard' Stars After Losing PEOPLE's Readers' Choice Sexiest Podcaster to Them

Tabitha ParentWed, March 11, 2026 at 5:45 PM UTC

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Frank Alvarez, Joe Santagato and Seth Meyers.Credit: Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty -

Seth Meyers is still thinking about his PEOPLE Sexiest Man Alive Reader's Choice poll loss

Meyers had The Basement Yard podcasters Joe Santagato and Frank Alvarez on his late-night show, where the two chatted about their years-long friendship and how they turned it into a successful podcast

Meyers also brought up the pair's win for PEOPLE's Sexiest Podcaster category of the Reader's Choice poll

There's always room for more than one "Sexiest Podcaster!"The Basement Yard podcasters Joe Santagato and Frank Alvarez appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers to chat about all things related to their podcast and friendship on March 10; however, Meyers had one thing in particular on his list of questions for the comedy duo.In October 2025, PEOPLE's readers voted in the Sexiest Man Alive Reader's Choice Poll, in categories ranging from Sexiest Country Star to Sexiest TikTok Star.Santagato and Alvarez were nominated in the Sexiest Podcasters category — alongside Las Culturistas' Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers; The Lonely Island's Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer; The Viall Files' Nick Viall; and Seth Meyers, for his eponymous podcast. The comedic media duo ultimately took home the title at the poll's close.

Frank Alvarez and Joe Santagato.Credit: Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty

Meyers brought up the pair's win over him in the category, cheekily congratulating them for their title."Congratulations on your victory," Meyers said playfully."You know... heavy is the head that wears the crown," Alvarez jokingly replied.Meyers then asked the duo how their family reacted to the news that they were named PEOPLE's Sexiest Podcasters."Our fathers were the most invested in it," Alvarez said. "It was very confusing. My father's an old Colombian man, and he called and was like, 'So you're sexy now?'"

"My dad thought this was the biggest deal in the world. He called me, and he was like, 'Dude, you beat everybody!'" Santagato chimed in. "He was like, 'Brad Pitt, you beat the Kelce brothers...' I was like, "'This is not what's happening, Dad.'""It's because no one has called our fathers sexy in, like, 45 years," Alvarez said."So, they're owning this," Meyers added.When news that the duo was first nominated for Sexiest Podcasters was announced, Alvarez couldn't quite believe it.

Frank Alvarez & Joe Santagato during an interview with host Seth Meyers on March 10, 2026.Credit: Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty

"This isn't real, right?" he commented under a video from one of his show's producers, Greg Dybec.

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Santagato and Alvarez's success began as a childhood dream. The duo grew up on the same block in Queens, have been friends since preschool and started making comedy videos with their friends at a young age.“I think we're still trying to figure it out,” Alvarez told PEOPLE of the show’s trajectory. “It's going to hit me a ton of bricks at a certain point.”The two boast upward of 800,000 followers on YouTube and consistently rank as number seven in podcasts on Patreon.

The podcast space might feel oversaturated, but The Basement Yard stands alone. Santagato and Alvarez aren't doling out advice, discussing social issues or sharing information. They don’t really do anything — and that’s exactly what their audience loves.

“Anyone that has ever asked me about this show, I always pitch it as you, your oldest friend, you sit down, you talk for an hour about wherever the conversation goes,” Alvarez explained. “And I think that in its core is so relatable in the sense of like, ‘I have people that I would do the exact same thing with.’ ”

“[The listeners] enjoy that we're not trying to tackle the same topics as everyone else,” said Santagato. “If something happens in the news, well maybe we'll touch on it, but a lot of the time we don't. It goes into our preparation too, which is none…. so it's very loose. There's no real structure to it. It really will feel like just two people who are talking to each other, because that's honestly what it is.”

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”