Christopher Meloni Admits His Love For Hilarious Fan-Given Title

We have to say, we sure are seeing a lot more Christopher Meloni content lately. Not that anyone's complaining. From his return to the "Law & Order" universe with his new spinoff show, "Law & Order: Organized Crime," to his playful (not to mention steamy) naked Peloton ad, Meloni — otherwise known as Elliot Stabler — is everywhere these days. 

The man has always been a hunk, obviously. His famously shapely derriere didn't become its own meme for nothing. But now that he's in his '60s, everybody's second-favorite TV detective has reached a new era in his personal hunk-dom, and it comes with a new title. Meloni has now joined the likes of David Beckham, Stanley Tucci, and Idris Elba as an official "Zaddy." And he's not shy about enjoying his new pop-culture designation. Then again, this is a guy who regularly works out in the buff with the curtains open. He's not shy about anything.

In an interview with People, Christopher Meloni says he's enjoying his newfound Zaddy-dom. "It's a gas. It's fun. I don't know, has anyone else been crowned Zaddy?" (Side note: Yes, of course!) "Once it's bestowed upon you, you have to just ride that horse as long as you can," Meloni told the mag. He added that his family has differing opinions about his sex symbol status. "My wife, she's lovely, she gets it. Meaning she's like, 'Eh, whatever,'" the actor explained. "My kids, on the other hand, invariably once a month, it's 'Really? Really?'" 

As for how Meloni's wife and kids feel about the legions of "SVU" fans who not-so-secretly want to see him get together with his longtime co-star Mariska Hargitay, we'd have to assume that's even weirder. But just as Meloni is embracing the Zaddy label, he and Hargitay have always taken a lighthearted approach to the shipping. Asked if they'd ever dated by Today, Hargitay joked, "For four years, and we just broke up two months ago." Meloni chimed in, "Don't tell our spouses."

It's all in good fun.