40. Cory Michael Smith
At this time last year, no one knew who Cory Michael Smith was. In 2014, he managed to land the role of Edward Nygma in Gotham and allegedly boned Emilia Clarke, AKA Dany in Game of Thrones. Yeah, bro, you win.
39. Reed Hastings
2014 was really the year that Netflix became The Boss of the new entertainment world. It created the model that everyone else is going to follow from now on, and CEO Reed Hastings is the dude who made it happen. By making the bold choice to shift Netflix’s focus from DVD mailers to original streaming programming, he both set the table for an entire industry and ensured his company’s – and his own – place at the head of that table. He gambled big, and he won even bigger, because that’s just what a bro does.
38. Robbie Lawler
UFC fighter Robbie Lawler began the year with a heartbreaking decision loss to Welterweight champ Johnny Hendricks. He ended it by winning the rematch and becoming the champ. In between he won a pair of fights, set himself as a prime contender for fighter of the year and brought his roller coaster career to new heights. It hasn’t always been good times for Lawler, and that’s what makes his 2014 all the sweeter.
37. Michael Sam
No, he’s not currently dominating the NFL, but that doesn’t really matter. He won by being the first bro with the balls to stand up, say he’s gay, and tell the NFL – and everyone else – to deal with it. Because of what he did, it will be easier for every dude who follows. A true bro says “This is who I am, take it or leave it,” and that’s exactly what Michael Sam did.
36. Pitbull
Love him or hate him – or just mildly tolerate the goofy bastard like most of us – you can’t deny that Pitbull is owning this shit. He was everywhere in 2014, hanging out at big sporting events, hosting awards shows, dominating the commercial game, and the whole time he was reveling in the party that seemingly just follows him around. While you’re sitting here reading this, he is probably doing unspeakable things involving a stripper and a bottle of champagne, all while coming up with the hook for a song that will make him millions. Hate all you want, but he’s winning.
35. Daniel Coleman
Daniel Coleman is the dude who won $15.3 million by winning the Big One for One Drop event at the 2014 World Series of Poker. Sure, he followed that up by throwing shade at poker, but let’s face it, by refusing to play the PR game, Coleman won in an entirely different way. He won, talked some shit, and left to go count his money. That’s the American Dream right there.
34. John Oliver
John Oliver replaced Jon Stewart, both literally and then metaphorically, as the new King of Current Events Snark. He freshened up The Daily Show in Stewart’s absence in the summer of 2013 and then used that as a springboard to his own show on HBO, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. Sure, the show might not have quite as many titties as your typical HBO hit, but it’s still early.
33. Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter got to spend 2014 getting standing ovations from every ballpark in America as he ended his Hall of Fame career, and then he got to go home and bone his supermodel girlfriend, Hannah Davis. I mean, that’s an okay year, right? Of course, now that he’s retired, Jeter will also have time to devote to his one true love – toppling Wilt Chamberlain’s unbreakable 20,000 women boned record. I’m sure Hannah will understand. There is athletic glory at stake here.
32. Tim Cook
Apple’s CEO (and really, that’s enough, right?) successfully oversaw the launch of the new iPhone 6, showing that Apple is still a monster in a post-Steve Jobs world, and, oh yeah, he also came out of the closet, which was a big deal if only because the way he handled it – and the way everyone else responded – was, well, was really no big deal at all. He won 2014, and he won it on his own terms, and that’s something every bro can appreciate.
31. Stephen Colbert
Not only did Stephen Colbert continue to dominate the satire game in 2014, he managed to land the one job that every single dude in his business wanted – succeeding David Letterman as the host of The Late Show. It will be interesting to see how he handles the transition from “Stephen Colbert” to the real-life Stephen Colbert, but maybe that’s a distinction that doesn’t even matter anymore, and that’s why he’s the man now.