Wicked and Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey has revealed it is an ‘honour’ to be the first openly gay man to be named People’s Sexiest Man Alive
Jonathan Bailey has been named People’s Sexiest Man Alive. He becomes the first ever openly gay man to be crowned the accolade and succeeds last year’s awardee John Krasinski.
The actor, 37, is seeing his year go from strength to strength after starring in Jurassic World Rebirth. He featured alongside Scarlett Johansson in the flick. And he is also set to hit the big screen in the Wicked sequel, Wicked: For Good.
Now, to top off an impressive calendar year, he was named the Sexiest Man by People. His accolade was announced on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday.
READ MORE: Victoria Beckham’s special gift for David revealed following long, secret projectREAD MORE: Strictly’s Dianne Buswell reveals sweet moment she told family about pregnancy
During the show, Jimmy showcased the two upcoming covers for the issue. Speaking to the host, Jonathan called the win “the honour of a lifetime” and admitted he is still “giggling” about his face being the cover.
Jonathan discussed becoming the first ever openly gay man to earn the title. He told the host: “In 2025, I’m sort of thrilled that People magazine have invited someone in, to bestow this honour on someone who can really cherish the value of a sexy man.”
And within the article of the publication he further opened up on how he reacted when finding out the news. “It’s a huge honor,” he said.
“Obviously I’m incredibly flattered. And it’s completely absurd. [Laughs] It’s been a secret, so I’m quite excited for some friends and family to find out.”
In September, the actor, who received critical acclaim for his role as Prince Fiyero in Wicked, revealed he has decided to put his acting career on hold as he focuses on his new LGBTQ+ charity.
The star, who also features in hits such as Bridgerton and Fellow Travelers, confirmed he is taking a break from Hollywood to focus on a charity he launched in 2024. The Shameless Fund aims to support LGBTQ+ people across the globe in living “freely and authentically”.
Speaking to GQ at the time, he said: “My acting career has been amazing and mind-blowing. But with everything happening in the world right now, I’ve decided to stop acting for a bit.”
He added: “Over the next few months, I’ll be focusing on staffing and making sure we get all the right people in all the right places.”
Jonathan also highlighted how little charitable funding reaches the LGBTQ+ community, continuing: “There’s this statistic: out of every £100 raised in the UK, only 1p goes to the LGBTQ+ community. You really have to dig to find solutions, and I genuinely think The Shameless Fund is exactly that.”
As well as his commitment to LGBTQ+ equality, his charitable work extends beyond his own set-up. He is a long-time supporter of Just Like Us, the charity behind the UK’s annual School Diversity Week.
The actor previously said: “School Diversity Week is an incredible initiative that creates the inclusive environment every young person deserves. Growing up, I wish I had something like School Diversity Week to let me know it was OK to be myself.”
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
