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Jonathan Bailey is the sexiest man alive.
We don’t just mean that he’s a certified hottie. Jonathan Bailey is People‘s Sexiest Man Alive for 2025.
For years, the magazine’s SMA category has been infamous for being way out of step with most people.
Now, in some post-Halloween miracle, they’ve gotten it right. Every now and then, something sensible happens.
Jonathan Bailey is 2025’s Sexiest Man Alive, according to People (and common sense)
Late on Monday, November 3, the news broke.
Jonathan Bailey is People‘s Sexiest Man Alive 2025.
“It’s a huge honor,” he told the magazine in the new issue. “Obviously I’m incredibly flattered.”
In a moment of self-ridicule, he added: “And it’s completely absurd.”
(No, Blake Shelton getting that title in 2017 was “completely absurd.” This, on the other hand, is a rare win for People)
Bailey wowed audiences in traditional theater before he ever became a familiar face on the small screen, let alone the big one.
He had a small role on Broadchurch in 2013. The following year, he guest starred on an episode of Doctor Who.
For many, Bailey first rose to their attention as the voice actor for G’raha Tia in Final Fantasy XIV, starting with the 2017 expansion, Stormblood.
When Bridgerton premiered on Netflix in late 2020, he portrayed one of the central characters, Anthony Bridgerton.
This catapulted him to a much more visible on-screen role to broader international audiences. And, of course, put him at the heart of streaming’s steamiest romance series.
Jonathan Bailey is a sex symbol
That was only the beginning of his widespread recognition and stardom.
In 2023, Jonathan Bailey co-starred in Fellow Travelers alongside fellow heartthrob Matt Bomer. To date, they have some of the most authentic steamy scenes that you’re likely to see on any show.
That role earned Bailey a Primetime Emmy Award nomination as well as an actual Critics’ Choice Award.
He would go on to have a guest role in Heartstoppers in 2023.
And, of course, Bailey portrays Fiyero in the two-part theatrical release of Wicked. This character, too, is a heartthrob, an amalgam of both Fiyero and Avaric from the Wicked novel. Wicked: For Good is out November 21.
After Bridgerton premiered, Bailey first truly internalized that his fame was growing.
“I had the radio set for my alarm, and one morning it went off with, ‘Here’s the news at 7. But just before we go, can we talk about Jonathan Bailey?’” he shared.
It sounds like Bailey still feels a sense of disbelief.
He recalled: “I was like, ‘Where is my journal? Is this real?’ It was wild.”
It is real. And it is wild.
Well done, People!
The Los Angeles Times has described Jonathan Bailey as a sex symbol whose fans span “all genders and orientations.” They’re not wrong!
Notably, he is also the first openly gay man to hold the title. That is a big deal, as queer actors — particularly queer men — are still marginalized and at times discouraged from coming out by agents who worry about their marketability.
This is also the 40th year that People has run this oft-lampooned category.
It’s wild and refreshing to see that they got it right this time.
We’ll be seated for Wicked: For Good. And we’re being so strong by not spoiling what’s coming for his character in the film. You’re welcome!
Jonathan Bailey is People’s Sexiest Man Alive 2025! It’s True and They Should … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.