Paul Rudd Says Watching the Chiefs Win the Super Bowl Was 'One of the Greatest Moments of My Life'

Paul Rudd has learned to appreciate the little moments in life.

The newly crowned Sexiest Man Alive, 52, who lives in New York City with his wife of 18 years, Julie, 53, and their kids Jack, 17, and Darby, 12, isn't fazed by his superstar status in Hollywood. "When I think about myself, I think of myself as a husband and a father, like I'm that," he tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story. "I just hang out with my family when I'm not working. That's what I kind of like the most."

Rudd, who was raised in Kansas City, encouraged both his kids from early on to be fans of his hometown's professional sports teams, the Royals and the Chiefs. "They're lifelong," he says. "They've lived in New York their whole life and I've lived in New York three times longer than I lived in Kansas City. But there was something innately certain with my kids that they like to root for a team nobody is really going to root for. They were Chiefs fanatics before Patrick Mahomes. It's nice that I get to share in the successes of KC sports teams with them and they feel it strongly."

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When asked to describe one of his favorite moments in his life—aside from his wedding and the birth of his children—Rudd doesn't hesitate to recall watching the Chiefs winning the LIV Super Bowl in 2020. "I was with my son who had been rooting for this team his whole life, only to kind of feel disappointment," the actor says. "I've always hoped that they would win for him because as a kid, to see your team win something big that you really care about is such an amazing thing."

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Rudd and his son traveled to Miami to watch the game in-person. "There was a moment where Damien Williams ran to the outside and ran it in and as he was running in, it was, 'Well, there it is. There's no way they're catching us. We just won the Super Bowl,'" Rudd says. "And in that moment, we both turned and hugged each other and as he's shaking and we're hugging each other, I had a moment where I was like, 'clock this,' because this is one of the greatest moments of my life."

Despite his enviable success in his 28-year career, Rudd now recognizes it's the smaller moments that will always stay with him. "And those are the things that I always try to hold on to and make a mental note when it's happening," he adds. "You know, we don't all want to live our lives recognizing the greatest moments of our lives in the rearview mirror. It's important to kind of check in while it's happening and really let it register."