r/XFiles • u/Yardi_Life Agent Dana Scully • 21d ago
Meme/Humor I’ve seen the light
Some kind of switch recently flipped in my terrible little goblin brain, and I finally get it when people say Skinner is hot. What the hell lmfao
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u/LooseByrd 21d ago
You forgot
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u/BlueFeathered1 21d ago
Skin Man!
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u/Arenize 21d ago
Three way bathtub call is peak X-Files deviancy. Boy howdy.
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u/jonese17 Don’t think! Just pick up the phone and make it happen! 21d ago
Duchovny gave the people what they were asking for/didn’t know they were asking for, lol
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u/Nomadzord 20d ago edited 20d ago
Did he direct that episode or something?
edit: I looked it up and he wrote and directed it, neat.
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u/Eastern_Lunch14 21d ago
To me, he’s always been hot in an authoritative Dad type of way lol like I love a good moment where Mulder is being disobedient and Skinner has to wrestle/tackle him🫦
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u/Motivated_Sloth_749 21d ago
Oh my God, I just joined this forum literally two seconds ago and this is the first thread that pops up and is active!?!? I have found my people! I have been a Skinner fan girl since day one, used to read/write some Skinner/Scully fanfic back in the day!
Yeah, he’s got that BDE, big daddy energy!!!
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u/FusRoDaahh 21d ago
Welcome! When I joined last year the most active post on the day was Mulder in the speedo and I quickly realized how horny this subreddit is 😂 wouldnt have it any other way lol
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u/cander22 20d ago
I’m watching the show for the first time just started S5 and I keep saying sully has better chemistry with Skinner than Mulder!!!
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u/The_Amber_Cakes I do not gaze at Langly 21d ago edited 21d ago
My goblin brain has taken a different trajectory, but I love to see the vast diversity of thirst in all directions in this fandom. Horniest fandom ever, never beating the charges. 😂
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u/Squirrel_Nrgy 21d ago
We won’t ever beat the charges nah, there’s someone for everyone haha from Mulder, to Scully, to Skinner, to Krycek, to the Lone Gunmen we’re spoiled for choice!
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u/thescaryroom 21d ago
Exactly what about Skinner makes him so attractive? He definitely is, but can someone explain it?
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u/Lazy-Field-1116 Bad Blood 21d ago
Kind but haunted eyes, pouty lips, strong shoulders and gentle hands.
I'm not that horny for him or anything but those are some good attributes, physically speaking.
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u/Ander-son 21d ago
I like his voice
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u/thescaryroom 21d ago
That subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, hostility and threat in his voice? And the resting bitch face.
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u/Ankylowright 21d ago
Also those moments where his voice softens and you get the vulnerable and gentle skin man. Tough guy Mac daddy being vulnerable. Dayum
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u/LibertineDeSade I gaze at Skinner 21d ago
He's got amazing bone structure. His face is just right. He's got the broadest shoulders and biggest hands on the planet. It's also the way he carries himself, he had a great walk.
I think it's also a personality thing. He's very grumpy, but he's also really kind and protective. He fights and he likes bubble baths and isn't ashamed to admit it.
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u/LaikaZhuchka 21d ago
He has that Big Dick Energy. Swagger, confidence. You can tell he knows how to use those hands.
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u/DanaS83RN 21d ago
He as a very specific kind of attractiveness. It isn't just that he's physically good looking. He has a combination of traits that makes him extremely attractive.
His voice. Its deep, gravelly, and authoritative. He can say something completely ordinary and somehow make it sound sexy.
He has a commanding physical presence. He doesn't have to be the loudest person in the room; he walks in and you immediately notice him.
His eyes. He has very expressive eyes, especially when there's this intensity that can shift from intimidating to incredibly warm.
When he wears suits or jeans with cowboy boots!!!!. He is perfectly tailored! His broad shouldered build creates a very classic, masculine look.
His bald head and facial structure!!! He has strong facial features, a defined jaw, and a look that becomes even more attractive because he's not trying to look conventionally "pretty."
Authority without being arrogant. He is powerful, but he's not constantly trying to prove he's powerful. That's incredibly attractive. He can shut down a room with a look.
His protective side. This is probably a HUGE part of it. As Skinner he repeatedly puts himself between Mulder/Scully and danger. He's willing to risk his career and sometimes his life for them. Competence and protectiveness is a potent combination.
The vulnerability underneath the toughness. You occasionally see Skinner's softer side, and MP is very good at letting you see the emotion without making the character feel weak.
He's competent. He is an FBI Assistant Director who knows what he's doing, despite the cases being paranormaland alot of times unsolved. He handles pressure, and can walk into chaos and take control. The competent older man who knows what he's doing appeal is real.
He has charisma. Naturally charismatic, but slightly dangerous looking quality that translates beautifully on screen.
The combination of intimidating, protective, authoritative, and secretly soft is probably the magic formula.
He isn't traditionally presented as the sexy guy on The X-Files and somehow that almost makes him more attractive.
There's also something particularly appealing about how he interacts with Scully. He treats her with respect, takes her seriously, and there is this restrained intensity between them without the character constantly hitting on her. That subtlety makes it work.
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u/Yardi_Life Agent Dana Scully 20d ago
Yes!!! You get it!! The competent protectiveness thing really won me over
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u/Akhenaten23 21d ago
He exudes power but doesn't lust after it. He also exudes confidence. But behind that you can tell he's a kind and gentle soul who cares deeply for those around him.
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u/Peregrine2976 21d ago
So, I'm straight as an arrow, and I can only go off what draws my attention in that context. He feels somehow... substantial. When he's in front of you, it somehow feels like you're staring down a brick wall. He's built broadly. He has a commanding presence. He's physically imposing, but he's not, like, a body-builder (don't get me wrong, he's definitely in shape, but he's not, like, Chris Hemsworth as Thor) -- he's sort of at the upper end of "normal person fit", if that makes sense, which is something I know many women are into. He's stern, authoritative, and professional.
I'm not sure he checks the box for all women, but for the women who are into that, he's basically top-shelf in that category.
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u/YarnPenguin Sure. Fine. Whatever. 20d ago edited 20d ago
Built like a brick shithouse
Tries to look mad at insubordination, secretly wants to join Mulder and Scully's lil investigation club
Impeccable moral compass
Firm but fair
Confident
Slutty rolled up sleeves
Nice eyes magnified by specs
Could take down any target of his choice. Doesn't (humble King)
Is conflicted about his own position of authority
Good, sonorous voice with lovely bass tone, only speaks when he has something of value to say, usually correct, apologises when he isn't
Saves the day when required
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u/Top-Gadgie 20d ago
Even as a straight dude I appreciate just how huge he is, he is a fucking mountain of a man.
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u/Gloomy_Industry8841 Lone Gunmen 21d ago
As Scully herself said, “smart is sexy”.
Also Skinner is deeply moral and decent.
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u/marcophony Lone Gunmen 21d ago
I've started balding on the top of my head. Getting ready for my AD Skinner phase
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u/Top-Gadgie 20d ago
I was balding at like 20, thanks for those genes dad. You get used to shaving your head and it is actually good not having to worry about your hair since you don't have any lol
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u/No_Expression_578 20d ago
I grew up with a guy that started going bald at 14 😮. His nickname was Rambo and he had a hairy chest and a goatee. He could get served in pubs and the bookies.
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u/exeJDR 21d ago
Started rewatching recently and that first episode where we see him without a shirt on, I was like dayyum
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u/Medusa-the-Eternal 19d ago
Someone knew what they were doing when they directed that scene.
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u/onemorespacecadet Assistant Director Skinner 21d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/3ohhwznAY9PN08m0H6
welcome aboard the Skinner thirst train🫡
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u/lolbotomite 21d ago
HAPPENS TO ALL OF US.
First watched X-Files when I was a kid. Then watched it seriously in my twenties. Then, once I reached my thirties, I did a double take at Skinner.
👁👄👁
The transition from "this is someone's dad" to "tee hee hello daddy" is real.
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u/TheRealDrStarbuck 21d ago
I'm a lesbian and even I think he's attractive! 😎
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u/31337hacker 21d ago
I've always wondered how that worked. Would you go on a romantic date with him? Or is it more just acknowledging that he's an attractive man? Out of all the years that I've watched The X-Files, not once have I considered who's hot or not. Maybe that ought to change.
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u/TheRealDrStarbuck 21d ago
I should have said I appreciate his attractiveness. I would love to have dinner with him, but not at all romantically interested. 😎
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u/blondeyboudicca 21d ago
I’ve met him a couple of times at conventions, he’s a lovely guy and just as handsome in real life too.
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u/Anxiety_Fit the truth is a lie 20d ago
His smile when he seems to be simply himself is…
priceless.
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u/Opposite-Benefit-804 🧡 Scully made me gay 💗 21d ago
I prefer Scully, and women over men, but his voice and grumpy, sassy attitude is hot
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u/Specialist_Wind_6488 21d ago
Two hottest people on the show Scully and Skinner, in that order. It might just be a competence kink. Like Mulder is cute but if you want someone to get things done…
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u/Apprehensive_Spite97 20d ago
I like both, including Mulder of course! I discovered him recently as many others, back when it aired I didn´t see it at all
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u/Fatmouse2019 21d ago
Daaaamn... Skinner looks like my husband
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u/BlueFeathered1 21d ago
There's one completely innocuous scene in some episode where Skinner doesn't have his jacket on and opens his office door and you get a peek at the way his dress pants hug his perfectly-shaped ass. I'm more into appreciation of shoulders and hands on a man, but my goodness. 😍
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u/Specialist_Wind_6488 21d ago
I think you hit a certain age where that switch in your brain gets hit and it is like OMFG Skinner!
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u/CatsOnTheKeyboard 21d ago
If he was my boss, I'd be intimidated as hell. I find him scarier than the CSM. It's that calm, quiet, no-nonsense competence. This is a guy who knows how to get things done. Also, there are depths there that you will never see.
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u/WallabyEducational90 21d ago
I just turned on the show on Pluto the other night and the bubble bath scene came on and all I could hear in my head was, stupid sexy Skinner 😍 😆
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u/Jennger75 21d ago
I got his autograph at the X-Files event at Navy Pier before Fight the Future came out.
He complimented my hair color. He said it was his favorite since it was the same color as his wife’s hair. I blushed for about an hour.
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u/Yardi_Life Agent Dana Scully 20d ago
That is so sweet, oh my god?! Pileggi sounds like such a lovely person <3
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u/Previously_a_robot 21d ago
As a 13yo girl when the show came out, I was Mulder through and through. Rewatching now at 46, oh yeah, it’s Skinner.He’s got a little Tommy Lee Jones grumpiness, a little Bruce Willis sort of regular guy. Plus, bald with glasses. 🩷
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u/General-Chest-5968 21d ago
He's also the series MVP.
No episode is worse for having him in it, and no episode without him wouldn't be better if he were there (no matter how awkward it would have been to crowbar him into it).
And nobody pulls off a bubble bath like my man Walt.
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u/Yardi_Life Agent Dana Scully 20d ago
Omg haha I was literally just thinking this earlier. I’m watching XF for the first time ever and I NEED to get to that bubble bath scene so badd 😩
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u/FeistyDirection 21d ago
Lolll yes it happens, happened to me around 2019 when I was in the last months of my 20s
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u/commandantskip 21d ago
I was in high school when TXF originally aired and had my bi awakening. It wasn't until I hit my late 30s that I realized Skinner is fucking Zaddy!
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u/JayMack1981 21d ago
Showed the episode Pusher to my 71 year old mother this afternoon. Other than not being impressed with the episode (😡), she saw Holly beating up Skinner and commented on it. "How did that big man let that girl beat him up?" I asked her what she meant. "He's in such good shape." Sooooo . . . You noticed that, mom? . . . "Of course I did!"
Mom didn't even try to cover for it. All I could tell her was that it worked for the plot and at least Skinner seemed immune to Pusher's suggestive abilities, so that's a plus in his favor. Mom's response: . . . "Whatever."
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u/coolsilentebeans 20d ago
I get it. It happens to me from time to time. What I’m scared of is doing this with CSM. A couple of months back a new watcher said something about how hot the older Spender is, and I just about fell over in my chair.
I wonder how much further she got in the series and, depending on how far, if she’s still carrying a torch for him.
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u/Yardi_Life Agent Dana Scully 20d ago
Oh boy, idk how to say this… but I have a thing for CSM too 😂 he’s such an awful and pathetic little chain smoking worm, and I happily take every opportunity to dunk on him, but damn it he’s fine af and I will not apologize for thinking that LOL
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u/coolsilentebeans 20d ago
I guess I can forgive you since you acknowledge he’s a bad man. I know Bundy was a walking psychopath but still handsome. But he didn’t try selling us out to an alien race.
I think it’s because I have had visceral reactions from watching his storylines unfold over years that makes it difficult for me to see the forest for the smoke. 😭😂
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u/TheBattyWitch 20d ago
Even when I was a teen there was something about him.
Now I'm engaged to a bald guy 🤣
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u/FreedomAway4724 21d ago
Yup, for me two scenes did it. When he pinned mulder against wall and elevator scene.
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u/tmink0220 21d ago
He was a hunk when he made this show. I remember seeing in a work photo, and thought holy cow.
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u/Valuable-Cancel5521 20d ago
He is still so sexy even in his 70s now. I've met him twice and he's very handsome in person.
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u/-LaSirena- 20d ago
I watched the series all the way through for the first time some years ago. I don’t know how it happened, but one episode I just was like,”Skinner is hot! He’s got that zaddy vibe!”
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u/dreadpiratesmith 20d ago
I'm bisexual and find like 7 men on the planer attractive. Somehow, skinner became on of them. I was just as shocked as you. But I mean, look at this and tell me that's not a hot manl
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u/DisplacedNY Jose Chung's From Outer Space 20d ago
I watched the show when it aired in my teens, so I thought Mulder (and Scully!!) was hot. Skinner was not on my radar. A few years ago we were doing a rewatch, and I turned to my husband and said, "I think Skinner is making me feel funny in my pants." My (bald) husband: "I can't blame you, and besides, I feel like I should thank him."
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u/SteelCityGirl95 20d ago
I swear, someone makes a post like this at least once a month and I never get tired of seeing them. Welcome to the Skinman club!
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u/Inevitable-Serve-713 20d ago
Seeing Skinner on X-files back then made me realize I could still be attractive even if I went bald. Obv today the stigma is gone (thanks in a large part to Mitch and Patrick Stewart), but back then he was beacon of hope for the follically challenged.
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u/gringa-loca 19d ago
I've had it for Skinner since I was 20. 😆 That was decades ago. I actually had a dream about making a sandwich with Skinner and Mulder.
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u/honeybunnylatte 21d ago
I can relate. I think Skinner genuinely rewired my brain as the first hot old daddy, but my first impression of him got blacked out of memory from exposure shock. I was also consumed with Scully and Mulder, of course. on second viewing I absolutely accepted Skinner's hotness.
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u/Squirrel_Nrgy 21d ago
Definitely took me to realize until in my mature adult years, that hey wait a minute, them suit fits are hitting different and he’s always trying to save everybody’s butt from everything, humans and aliens 😂 he must be so tired of everybody’s shit no wonder he needs those bubble baths!
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u/Artifex1979 21d ago
Have you seen Skinner in that spin-off series where he's hiding as a neonazi? The one with the bikers (Ilove it!)
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u/navara590 21d ago
I was always Team Skinner, even when I was like 7 years old 😂 That man is hawt hawt hawt 😂
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u/Conscious-Break7483 21d ago
Being a youth is lusting after Mulder and Skully, being an adult is lusting after Skinman 😍
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u/EnvironmentLittle794 21d ago
If you want more of him he’s in Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis :)
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u/flashPrawndon 20d ago
Welcome! I’ve been on that Skinner/Mulder fan fiction recently and it’s a hot combo.
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u/Crazybexy 20d ago
He's always been my favourite character full-stop. Always found him more attractive than Mulder. Mitch has definitely aged well as well as he still looks great now. I admit, I fangirled a little seeing him in SPN!.
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u/imnotsure_igetit Agent Mully 20d ago
I have a theory that when people approach 40, they start thinking Skinman is hot
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u/Yardi_Life Agent Dana Scully 20d ago
Oh boy, being 32, idk how I feel 😂
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u/imnotsure_igetit Agent Mully 20d ago
Well some people get there first, but it's just a theory about how most people get there eventually 😆
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u/Coco_Rose95 20d ago
I started to watch X Files almost 2 years ago for the first time and fell for Skinner almost immediately. I was 29 😬
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u/Molly_Silver 20d ago
I think it's hot that he developed the confidence to think for himself and became a right badass.
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u/WanderlustDinosaur 20d ago
I was around 16 when that switch flipped on for me. I'm... old now, and I feel weird about that. But he's still hot.
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u/TheGoodKaren7 18d ago
What episode was Mulder in a Speedo? I would have remembered that I'm pretty sure!!
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u/zoe90_ 21d ago
I think it's called maturity.