Jonathan Bailey, who stars as Fiyero in Wicked and its upcoming sequel Wicked: For Good, has been named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive.” It’s the first time an out gay man has received the title.
The news was unveiled Monday night on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where Bailey appeared holding a blown-up cover. He called the designation “the honor of a lifetime.”
Bailey first rose to global fame as Lord Anthony Bridgerton on Netflix’s Bridgerton, and has since starred in several high-profile projects, including an Emmy-nominated turn as closeted congressional aide Tim Laughlin in Showtime’s Fellow Travelers and as Dr. Henry Loomis in the summer blockbuster Jurassic World: Rebirth.
Bailey’s recent streak of success earned him a spot on the Time 100 Next list in September. His performance in Fellow Travelers landed him a cover story in Out magazine and a place, alongside his co-stars, on the Out100 list of influential LGBTQ figures. As Outnoted, the English actor has also raised substantial funds for The Shameless Fund, a nonprofit he founded to support pro-LGBTQ initiatives.
Raised in rural Oxfordshire with his three older sisters, Bailey told People that he decided to become an actor at age five, after seeing a performance of the musical Oliver! with his grandmother. By seven, he was performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company in London — and has been acting ever since.
Bailey admitted he never saw himself as “sexy” growing up and has often wrestled with self-doubt and fear throughout his life.
“When I was really young, I was very confident about who I was, and maybe I lost that as I grew up,” he said. “We’re all sort of trying to get back to the origin, aren’t we? But I was swimming in the sea about an hour ago with a good gang, and I felt all right in my skin.”
In the realm of romance, Bailey says he’s looking for a good communicator who’s honest, transparent, and supportive. His perfect date might include dinner, the theater, or a film, depending on how long he’s been dating. “If it’s like date 100, then like Legos, although we Brits say it singular ‘Lego,’ and pizza,” he says. “Some of my best dates have been Lego dates.”
Bailey told the magazine he feels “incredibly lucky” in his life.
“Life is a ride for everyone no matter who you are, where you come from,” he said. “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.”
Past People “Sexiest Man Alive” covers have included actors John Krasinski, Patrick Dempsey, Idris Elba, Richard Gere, Channing Tatum, John Legend, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and David Beckham.
For one brief, deranged moment, I actually considered asking ChatGPT to write a Tron: Ares review for this magazine. What could be more appropriate?
Naturally, I came to my senses. Like the AI in Tron: Ares, ChatGPT wouldn't be offering an actual opinion -- it can't sit in an IMAX theater (yet, I think) -- just a regurgitation of whatever it scraped from the web. And honestly, I couldn't care less what others think about Disney's film series. I only care what I think.
And here's what I think: it's trash. Pretty trash. Gleaming trash. Sleek trash. Trash with a kickass soundtrack. But trash, nonetheless.
Matthew López felt detached. While reading E. M. Forster's classic novel, Howard's End, in New York's Central Park several years ago, the Tony award-winning playwright was inspired to write his own version of the twentieth-century tale of three British social classes intertwining during Europe's Edwardian era.
Using the essence of Forster's famous mandate from the novel, "Only connect!" López would set his version, The Inheritance in contemporary metropolitan life, replete with themes of young love, politics, sexual escapades, friendship, substance abuse, redemption, and haunting memories of the AIDS epidemic, all of which would be discussed between various generations of gay men.
The Pentagon is bashing the hit Netflix series Boots as "woke garbage."
Based on The Pink Marine, former Marine Greg Cope White's memoir, Boots follows Cameron Cope (Miles Heizer), a closeted teen who joins his straight best friend, Ray McAffey (Liam Oh), at a U.S. Marine Corps boot camp run by the ruthless Sgt. Sullivan (Max Parker).
Set in the 1990s, the series unfolds at a time when service members discovered to be gay or engaged in same-sex activity could be dishonorably discharged. In 1994, under the Clinton administration, Congress approved a so-called "compromise" policy -- "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- that ostensibly allowed gay and lesbian troops to continue serving.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.