Jonathan Bailey, known for his swoon-worthy performances in Netflix’s “Bridgerton” and last year’s box office hit movie “Wicked,” was be named People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” for 2025, according to Page Six.
Last week, LateNighter reported that Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show” on NBC would reveal People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” by interviewing the recipient. “The Tonight Show” also unveiled the winner in 2018, the year Idris Elba won.
Bailey becomes the first openly gay man to win the title since People first started awarding it in 1985. The “Jurassic World Rebirth” actor is in good company, with actors like Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, and Dwayne Johnson previously earning the award.
Jonathan Bailey’s Netflix Career
GettyAlthough Bailey may be most famous today for playing Fiyero in last year’s Oscar-winning “Wicked” and the upcoming movie-musical “Wicked: For Good,” many audience members were already fans of the English actor for his role on “Bridgerton.” However, the 2020 romantic TV show wasn’t Bailey’s first experience on Netflix.
In 2016, Bailey starred in “Crashing,” a comedy series created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. In England, the series aired on Channel 4, but internationally, Netflix released the comedy as a Netflix Original. According to the Netflix summary, “Crashing” follows “a hodgepodge group of 20-something tenants [who] set up residence as property guards in a disused hospital” in exchange for cheap rent.
After “Crashing,” Bailey appeared in one episode of “Chewing Gum,” another British comedy that aired on Netflix in the United States. Since starring in the hit Shonda Rhimes show, Bailey has continued to share his acting gift on Netflix. In 2024, he appeared in one episode of “Heartstopper,” a romantic comedy-drama following a gay teenager who develops a crush on his classmate.
Jonathan Bailey’s Career Outside of Netflix
Bailey may be an actor, but his delightful personality has made him a fantastic guest judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. The World.” He’s also very charismatic during interviews, as is evidenced by his various appearances on “The Tonight Show.”
Although he’s very famous for his TV roles, Bailey is now a bona fide movie star. In addition to both “Wicked” movies and “Jurassic Park Rebirth,” Bailey has starred in movies like “The Mercy” and “The Young Messiah,” to name a couple. Given his immense talent and good looks, it will be quite exciting to see what Bailey does next.
