Odds of Time Person of the Year 2025

TIME Person of the Year 2025 Odds: AI, Pope Leo XIV Lead https://share.google/uunLfZ3EwFPAz7Ri5

TIME’s Person of the Year isn’t about who deserves it – it’s about who dominated the year, for better or worse.

That’s why Donald Trump sits among the odds leaders yet again, joined by a cast that ranges from Pope Leo XIV to AI itself.

So who’s got a real shot? Who’s just here for vibes? And who would break the timeline if they actually won? Let’s break down the latest odds, examine the trends, and see which long shots might crash the cover story of the year.

Time Person of the Year Odds 2025:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the top of the Time Person of the Year odds board with a +100 price. The Time Person of the Year is typically revealed in early December of each year.

(Odds courtesy FanDuel Canada as of Oct. 17, 2025)

Person Odds Implied Probability Profit:

#1: Artificial intelligence (AI)* +100 50% $10
#2: Pope Leo XIV +195 33.9% $19.50
#3: Donald Trump +500 16.7% $50
#4: Joe Rogan +750 11.8% $75
#5: Volodymyr Zelenskyy +750 11.8% $75
#6: Yulia Navalnaya +1600 6.3% $160
#7: Xi Jinping +1700 5.5% $170
#8: Elon Musk +1900 5.0% $190
#9: Gavin Newsom +1900 5.0% $190
#10: David Attenborough +2300 4.1% $230
#11: Marina Silva +2300 4.1% $230

*Includes ChatGPT.

🔥 Time Person of the Year odds: Favorites
Artificial Intelligence (including ChatGPT) (+100): There's precedent to Time awarding its Person of the Year honor to a non-person – and AI made a spirited run in the 2024 odds race before ultimately falling short. But the flip of the calendar has done nothing to quell the fiery debate between AI supporters and those who would happily see the innovation launched into space.

Pope Leo XIV (+195): With 1.4 billion Catholics now looking to him for guidance, Pope Leo XIV has already made history as both the first U.S.-born pontiff and the first from the Augustinian order. In his very first words from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica -- “Peace be with all of you!” -- he set the tone for a unique papacy.

Donald Trump (+500): There's really nobody else you could put in the pole position for Time Person of the Year at this point in the calendar. Trump has been front and center in the news cycle since being elected to a second non-consecutive term last November.

🔥 Time Person of the Year odds: Contenders
Joe Rogan (+750): Rogan is a bro culture icon, having hosted his wildly popular podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience" for over 15 years. The comedian and UFC color analyst made waves in November of 2024 by endorsing Trump for President of the eve of the election. Rogan is now making news by criticizing Trump from time-to-time.

Yulia Navalnaya (+1600): Navalnaya has transformed from the grieving widow of Alexei Navalny into one of the boldest voices challenging Vladimir Putin’s regime in Russia. She has rallied international support and put a human face on the fight for Russian democracy.

Elon Musk (+1900): Musk positioned himself to be a main character in Season 1 of the Trump presidential sequel, but he stepped down from his position in government in April. The two then started a feud in June that stemmed from Musk's harsh criticisms of the Congressional spending bill.

Gavin Newsom (+1900): Newsom has emerged as the face of the Democratic party. He has been among the harshest critics of Trump policies in 2025, and is the betting favorite to be the Democratic nominee in 2028.

Mark Carney (+2400): The Canadian prime minister pulled off the comeback of the year, with some sports betting sites giving him a 2% chance at winning in early January. He couldn't quite form a majority government, but his April election win over the shell-shocked Conservatives made waves for the rest of 2025.

🎯 Time Person of the Year odds: Long shots
Taylor Swift (+6000): The 2023 Time Person of the Year will never be far from the top of this list; she is, after all, Taylor Swift. 2025 got off to a relatively quiet start for Swift following the emotional end of her Eras tour, but headlines arrived in August with the announcement of her engagement to football star Travis Kelce, who also sits at +6000 odds to win this award.

Jake Paul (+6000): It feels like Paul should have been a stronger candidate for Time Person of the Year in 2024 – but there was no beating the world's most controversial politician in an election year. After beating one-time boxing great Mike Tyson at his own game and earning tens of millions of dollars in the process, what did Paul have planned for an encore? A bout with Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., to start. Paul dominated Chavez by unanimous decision in a 10-round fight in June.

Logan Paul (+6000): He's not exactly Ozzie Canseco or Brent Gretzky, but Logan Paul has always been a step behind his brother when it comes to overall acclaim, but are we starting to see a shift? Logan has a great thing going as one of the top bad guys in World Wrestling Entertainment.