Los Angeles, CA – Blush alert: The crown is his. Jonathan Bailey, the 37-year-old British bombshell who set Regency-era hearts (and corsets) ablaze as Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, has been named People’s Sexiest Man Alive 2025 – the first openly gay actor to claim the title in its 40-year history. The announcement, dropped Wednesday on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, sent X into a meltdown with #SexiestManBailey rocketing to 2.9 million posts in under an hour.
Bailey, fresh off his Emmy-nominated, soul-shredding turn in Fellow Travelers as the tortured, passionate Tim Laughlin, accepted the honor with trademark charm: “I’m blushing harder than Anthony at the opera house. This is for every queer kid who felt invisible – you’re sexy, you’re seen, you’re enough.” Fallon handed him the iconic red sash; Bailey promptly draped it over his Bridgerton cravat like a Regency rebel.
The milestone is seismic. From smoldering slow-burns with Simone Ashley in Bridgerton Season 2 to raw, era-defying intimacy with Matt Bomer in Fellow Travelers, Bailey’s carved a lane where vulnerability is the ultimate flex. “He made gay love stories mainstream without apology,” gushed Variety. His 2024 Olivier Award for Cock and upcoming Wicked role as Fiyero only cemented the glow-up.
Social media’s thirsty chaos:
- “He had me at ‘Your Grace’ – now he’s Sexiest Man? I need a fainting couch.”
- “From diamond of the season to diamond of the century.”
- Memes flood timelines: Bailey’s shirtless Bridgerton fencing scene spliced with the People cover, captioned “En garde, straight culture.”
LGBTQ+ advocates are tearing up. GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis called it “a cultural earthquake – visibility isn’t just representation, it’s revolution.” Bailey, out since 2018, has been vocal: “I grew up thinking desire and shame were the same. This title says they’re not.”
The issue hits newsstands Friday, featuring Bailey in a linen-open shirt, wind-swept hair, and that knowing grin. Inside? A 10-page spread with his fiancé (artist Simon Bailey), rescue dog, and a cheeky “Sexiest Knitwear” nod to his off-screen hobby.
From Shondaland to People’s throne, Bailey’s reign is just beginning. One viral tweet sums it: “He didn’t just win Sexiest Man – he redefined it.” Bow down, diamonds. The Viscount is king.
