Actor Jonathan Bailey, known for the film Wicked and the Netflix series Bridgerton, was named People magazine's 2025 Sexiest Man Alive.
This award holds particular symbolic meaning. Bailey is the first publicly out gay actor in People history to receive this title. He succeeded last year's winner John Krasinski.
Bailey announced the news himself on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He said, "This is the greatest honor of my life, and I still can't stop laughing," expressing overwhelming emotion.
He said, "It's amazing that in 2025 someone who is publicly out can receive an award like this," and added, "I'm glad People has truly broadened the meaning of 'sexiest man.'"
Bailey, 37 this year, gained worldwide popularity as Lord Bridgerton in Netflix's Bridgerton series. He then rose to leading Hollywood blockbuster status by starring opposite Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World Rebirth.
He will appear as Fiyero, the charming prince and the love interest of Ariana Grande's Glinda, in the upcoming Wicked: For Good, showcasing a new charm once again.
Bailey won the Laurence Olivier Award in 2019 for the musical Company, and in 2024 he took home the Critics' Choice TV Award for Fellow Travelers.
In the cover story interview he said, "This is such a great honor and at the same time funny. I'm happy thinking my family and friends will only now find out this secret."
Bailey said in response to the award, "A world where all identities and loves are respected is the true standard of sexiness," and added, "I hope that by receiving this title more people will have the courage to love themselves as they are."
[Photo] ©Gettyimages (unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited), film and drama stills
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