25 hottest codpiece moments in pop culture history

Originally a way to cover men’s poles in 15th and 16th century Europe, men wore codpieces beneath their doublets with no other underwear, before the ingenious sartorial invention became a piece of armor, and then a sign of virility and power for codpiece poster boy Henry VIII.

Now it’s a fashion statement, a sexy way to spice up an outfit, and a frequent part of leather fetish gear. Whatever your reason for wearing one, you have to admit that it’s a great way to cover up while showing off your impressive bulge. Much like jockstraps, what started as a practical piece of clothing has morphed over time into a sexy piece of clothing, only with codpieces, you can wear them right out in the open because they are meant to be seen.

So whether your queer and kinky or a celeb sporting one for a movie role, the codpiece is undeniably hot!

David Bowie in 'Labyrinth'

David Bowie had men and women alike lusting after him when he sported a memorable codpiece while playing the goblin king in the ‘80s fantasy film Labyrinth.

Alex and his Droogs in 'A Clockwork Orange'

Alex and his Droogs wear all white with large codpieces over the top of their A Clockwork Orange pants. It’s such an iconic look that it’s instantly recognizable and still used as a frequent Halloween costume today, despite the film coming out in 1971.

Kristen Stewart

Long before Kristen Stewart came out of the closet, she started breaking away from her “good girl” image, and at the UK premiere of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 she wore a black lace body suit with a sparkly black codpiece that made a memorable red carpet moment.

Sting in 'Dune'

If Sting isn’t your favorite part of David Lynch’s Dune, then you need to rewatch it asap because a glistening Sting in nothing but a skimpy codpiece is literally the only thing we remember about that movie.

Rowan Atkinson in 'Blackadder'

Rowan Atkinson sported an…impressive and strange (think an upside-down Gonzo nose) codpiece in the British comedy Blackadder.

John Travolta in 'Battlefield Earth'

The film’s connection to Scientology and John Travolta’s white guy dreadlocks is a true travesty, but we have to admit, his leather codpiece is formidable. Too bad the movie was not.

George Clooney in 'Batman & Robin'

There has been LOTS of talk over the years about nipples being added to the classic bat suit, but George Clooney’s suit in Batman & Robin will always stick out in our memory for the large silver codpiece showing off how well endowed the Dark Knight is.

Darth Vader in 'Star Wars'

The evil Star Wars villain is never seen out of his iconic black armor, and while he’s often partially covered by his black cloak, his codpiece is still hard to miss! Once you see it, you’ll understand how he could have sired Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.

Tom Savini in 'From Dusk Till Dawn'

Horror special effects legend Tom Savini played Sex Machine in From Dusk Till Dawn, where the leather-clad character had a unique codpiece with a built-in revolver that could pop out and fire. Talk about conceal and carry!

Immortan Joe in 'Mad Max: Fury Road'

Immortan Joe, the mutated tyrannical post-apocalyptic leader in Mad Max: Fury Road, wears a metal codpiece, flanked by two pistols framing his…junk. We’d almost say he beat From Dusk Till Dawn with this one, but the guns never fire during the movie. What a let down.

Jojo Siwa

As pop star Jojo Siwa was shaking off her child star image, she posed in a sparkly codpiece and chest plate shaped like a man's chest on the cover of LadyGunn magazine. It was a bold stance that, predictably, led to a conservative freak-out.

Sean Connery in 'Zardoz'

Is Sean Connery wearing a red suede codpiece or banana hammock in Zardoz? It’s hard to tell, but what we do know is that the man is packing!

Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson

Jethro Tull’s frontman Ian Anderson was always ostentatiously dress on stage, but this codpiece was especially eye catching.

Sam Smith

Nonbinary pop star Sam Smith wore a plaid, tartan codpiece with no pants and sky-high heels while walking in the Vivienne Westwood fashion show at Paris Fashion Week in 2024.

James Franco in 'Your Highness'

James Franco’s character in the comedy Your Highness wears skin-tight gray leggings that show off and large codpiece. His extra short tunic that shows off the impressive bulge only adds to the humor of any scene he’s in.

GWAR's Oderus Urungus

Heavy metal band GWAR is known for its elaborate and distinctively grotesque costumes, but the band’s late frontman, Oderus Urungus, frequently sported giant codpieces. From creatures with too many teeth to a two-foot-long cuttlefish to Cthulhu, the legendary musician seemed to have a never-ending supply of monstrous codpieces.

Sylvester Stallone in 'Judge Dredd'

Sylvester Stallone’s entire costume in Judge Dredd is a mid-‘90s dream, but his codpiece is what really…stands out.

Kiss' Gene Simmons

The four members of Kiss always dress up in costumes and face paint, but frontman Gene Simmons frequently sports large codpieces, including a spiked number and one that resembles a silver lobster tail.

Codpiece in 'Doom Patrol'

Codpiece is a villain on Doom Patrol, and like his name suggests, he has a huge codpiece. This DC baddie’s codpiece is a weapon, and in case you weren’t sure about why someone would want a gun in that location, he once said, “Not everyone can handle a full load from this big gun.”

Henry VIII

Henry VIII is probably one of the most recognizable figures to ever wear a codpiece. His cloth codpiece is front and center in nearly every portrait of the former King of England, and it’s large size was intended to represents his power and virility.

Alice Cooper

Godfather of shock rock Alice Cooper has donned a codpiece multiple time throughout his career, including while wearing a boa constrictor on stage in 1986 and on the cover of his Alice Cooper Trashes the World VHS tape.

Tom Cruz in 'Rock of Ages'

In the comedy jukebox musical Rock of Ages, Tom Cruz plays a tattooed rock star, who at one point trades out his leather pants for assless chaps and a silver demon codpiece with it’s tongue sticking out. Rock of Ages? More like C*ck of Ages because once you see it I’ll stick with you for..well, ages.

Howard Stern

Shock jock Howard Stern went to the MTV Music Awards in 1992 dressed up as his “Fartman” persona, wearing a yellow crop-top superhero suit with a giant gold codpiece.

Throb Zombie

Quite possibly the sexiest drag king to ever grace our screens, Throb Zombie wore the spikiest codpiece in existence while on Dragula.

Violet Chachki

Drag Race superstar Violet Chachki broke out the leather fetish gear for the Folsom Street Fair in 2024, where she was smoking hot in a leather studded codpiece.