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Jonathan Bailey has made history as he is the first openly gay man to be crowned People’s Sexiest Man Alive.
The Wicked actor, 37, was announced as People’s selection for Sexiest Man Alive on November 3.
The actor’s stardom has exploded since appearing on Netflix’s Bridgerton, appearing in blockbusters following the period drama juggernaut in 2020.
Wicked and Jurassic World Rebirth, alongside television performances in Fellow Travelers and Heartstopper, has cemented the actor’s stardom – and earned him huge praise for not only his acting chops, but his charismatic characters and cheeky sex appeal.
Now People has confirmed the public consensus by honouring him with the sexiest man title, making history as the first openly gay celebrity to hold it.
Fans have praised the magazine for 2025’s selection, with Jonathan’s co-stars even chipping in to priase the hunky actor.
His Fellow Travelers co-star Matt Bomer commented with only clapping hand emojis.
‘Finally a year that got it RIGHT 😍,’ said ulyandernesto.
‘People magazine actually naming one of the sexiest men alive while he is still sexy,’ said kendallhosseini on X.
‘Every year I complain it’s not Oscar Isaac or Pedro Pascal but I’m going to take a year off from complaining,’ said lizziethat.
‘YEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!! Now the world knows what I’ve known all along 😏 I LOVE YOU! CONGRATULATIONS!!! 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚,’ commented Jonathan’s Wicked co-star Cythia Erivo on the post announcing the news on Instagram.
The Wicked cast actually took it one step further as the film shared a clip of the entire cast, including Ariana Grande and Jeff Goldblum, congratulating the star for this achievement
People’s Sexiest Man 1985- 2025
Since 1985, there have been 40 gorgeous men who have been honoured with the title of People’s Sexiest Men.
The actor is only the third Englishman to be crowned sexiest man alive, with Jude Law (in 2004) and David Beckham (in 2015) preceding the beloved actor.
Their ages have ranged from late twenties (JFK Jr coming in youngest at 27 at the time of the award) and their late fifties (Sean Connery was 59 when he received the award in 1989).
1985 Mel Gibson, 29
1986 Mark Harmon, 34
1987 Harry Hamlin, 35
1988 John F. Kennedy Jr., 27
1989 Sean Connery, 59
1990 Tom Cruise, 28
1991 Patrick Swayze, 38
1992 Nick Nolte, 51
1993 Richard Gere, 44 (and Cindy Crawford, 27, in sexiest couple)
1994 Keanu Reeves (retroactive), 30
1995 Brad Pitt, 31
1996 Denzel Washington, 41
1997 George Clooney, 36
1998 Harrison Ford, 56
1999 Richard Gere, 50
2000 Brad Pitt, 36
2001 Pierce Brosnan, 48
2002 Ben Affleck, 30
2003 Johnny Depp, 40
2004 Jude Law, 31
2005 Matthew McConaughey, 36
2006 George Clooney, 45
2007 Matt Damon, 37
2008 Hugh Jackman, 40
2009 Johnny Depp, 46
2010 Ryan Reynolds, 34
2011 Bradley Cooper, 36
2012 Channing Tatum, 32
2013 Adam Levine, 34
2014 Chris Hemsworth, 31
2015 David Beckham, 40
2016 Dwayne, ‘The Rock’ Johnson 44
2017 Blake Shelton, 41
2018 Idris Elba, 46
2019 John Legend, 40
2020 Michael B. Jordan, 33
2021 Paul Rudd, 52
2022 Chris Evans, 41
2023 Patrick Dempsey, 57
2024 John Krasinski, 45
2025 Jonathan Bailey, 37
In his interview with People, Jonathan said he felt honoured to ne given the crown this year.
‘It’s a huge honour. Obviousl,y I’m incredibly flattered. And it’s completely absurd.It’s been a secret, so I’m quite excited for some friends and family to find out,’ he said.
He also spoke about some of the standard romantic questions, describing his dream date, a day in his life, advice to his younger self, and whether he saw himself having children.
‘Oh God, it totally depends. I love a walk, I do love dinner, theater, films. It depends what number date,’ he said about his dream date.
‘You know, if it’s like date 100, then like Legos, although we Brits say it singular “Lego,” and pizza. Some of my best dates have been Lego dates.’
He also said on the topic of whether he saw himself as a dad one day: ‘Yeah. If the planets align, for sure. I feel like in the world that we live in now, everyone’s going to need a bit of guidance. Although I’d be terrible at getting them through university. And they would not be able to speak another language. But maybe they will, and that’s how I’ll learn.’
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