“Bridgerton” and “Wicked” star Jonathan Bailey is the newest individual named by People magazine as the “Sexiest Man Alive.”
This marks the first time in the magazine’s 40-year history of handing out the title has gone to an openly gay man. Baile, who came out in his 20s, made his public announcement in 2018.
Bailey began his career as a child actor in Great Britain, appearing on stage and screen, making his first big waves on the show “Broadchurch” and a production of “Othello.”
After more acclaimed theater roles, Bailey broke out in Netflix’s “Bridgerton” as the eldest sibling, Anthony, particularly when the series’ second season revolved around him and Simone Ashley’s Kate Sharma.
He later starred in “Jurassic World Rebirth” in between his performances in the two parts of “Wicked,” with the second part set to premiere later this month.
“It’s a huge honor. Obviously, I’m incredibly flattered. And it’s completely absurd,” Bailey said, laughing in People’s piece announcing his new title. “It’s been a secret, so I’m quite excited for some friends and family to find out.”
The actor jokingly shared that he only told his dog Benson, who joined him in the official beach photoshoot, about the news, though he notes his friends might get mad about not being in the loop.
“They’ll be furious that I haven’t told them. And then they’ll just squeal with delight. They’ve seen me grow up,” Bailey continued. “Behind the mask of being identified as a sexy man are other truths that they know and they’ve witnessed. They know the secrets.”
Other things Bailey shared in his interview were that he was afraid of snakes, tends to overthink, looks forward to leaving parties he attends, that every man should have a gay friend, and his first celebrity crushes were Prince Eric from “The Little Mermaid” and Trini Kwan from “Power Rangers.”
“I feel incredibly lucky. Life is a ride for everyone no matter who you are, where you come from. It’s just making sure that when you’re in the ride, you’re looking left and right and making sure everyone’s all right. And give them a high-five along the way if they need it,” Bailey ended.
Last year’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ was John Krasinski. Past titleholders have included Chris Evans, Paul Rudd, Michael B. Jordan, Patrick Dempsey, Idris Elba, Dwayne Johnson, David Beckham, Chris Hemsworth, and Channing Tatum.