Jonathan Bailey becomes the first openly gay man to be crowned Sexiest Man Alive, reveals he told his dog first

Jonathan Bailey made history as the first openly gay Sexiest Man Alive. In his cover interview for People magazine, the 37-year-old expressed gratitude for the coveted title. “I’m incredibly flattered. And it’s completely absurd,” he said.

Jonathan Bailey in a still from Bridgerton Season 2 (Bridgerton)

The Bridgerton star was announced as the 2025 Sexiest Man Alive during Monday's episode of The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. However, Bailey received the news earlier this year while starring in Shakespeare's Richard II at The Bridge Theatre in London.

“For those of you who don’t know, it’s not a comedy,” he said of the production. “I think we were 30 shows into 103 shows. I was in the zone. So you go slightly mad, and the only thing madder than doing Richard II is being invited into this,” he added, referring to the People magazine honour.