{"id":5211590,"date":"2025-11-04T12:34:51","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T17:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/?p=5211590"},"modified":"2025-11-04T13:08:57","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T18:08:57","slug":"jonathan-bailey-boyfriend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/feature\/jonathan-bailey-boyfriend-5211590\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Is Jonathan Bailey&#8217;s Partner? What We Know About His Boyfriend"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>After being named People\u2019s Sexiest Man Alive for 2025, Jonathan Bailey\u2019s love life is back in the spotlight. Here\u2019s what we know about his mystery man boyfriend.<\/h3>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-1\"><!--more--><\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-2\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/feature\/who-is-jonathan-bailey-bridgerton-4682979\/\"  ><strong>Jonathan Bailey\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>has been acting since his childhood. After getting his start in the theater and appearing in many beloved productions for shows like\u00a0<em>Company, The Last Five Years,\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<em>Othello,\u00a0<\/em>he had his breakout worldwide role when he<a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/2022\/06\/20\/rege-jean-page-jonathan-bailey-reunite-armani-fashion-show-milan-pic\/\"  > appeared as Anthony Bridgerton<\/a> in the hit Netflix show\u00a0<em>Bridgerton. <\/em>He&#8217;s also in the <em>Wicked <\/em>movies, and he&#8217;s been starring in the hit Showtime series <em>Fellow Travelers.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-3\">Now, the award-winning actor is taking a brief step back from Hollywood. In late 2025, Bailey revealed that he\u2019s pausing acting to focus on charitable work, including his involvement with The Shameless Fund, which supports LGBTQ+ organizations. Around the same time, <em data-start=\"887\" data-end=\"895\">People<\/em> magazine named him the<a  href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/jonathan-bailey-is-sexiest-man-alive-2025-11842000\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  > \u201cSexiest Man Alive\u201d<\/a> for 2025.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5483804\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5483804\" style=\"width: 796px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-5483804\" src=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_5102.jpg?quality=100&#038;w=796&#038;resize=796%2C1024\" alt=\"NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 30: Jonathan Bailey attends Time100 Next at Current at Chelsea Piers on October 30, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill\/WireImage)\" width=\"796\" height=\"1024\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5483804\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NEW YORK, NEW YORK &#8211; OCTOBER 30: Jonathan Bailey attends Time100 Next at Current at Chelsea Piers on October 30, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill\/WireImage)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-4\">Throughout his career, Jonathan has been <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/2022\/04\/21\/bridgerton-jonathan-bailey-speedo-photo\/\"  >open about his sexuality<\/a>. As a gay man, he&#8217;s committed to LGBTQ+ visibility. While he mostly keeps his relationships<a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/2021\/10\/02\/bridgerton-jonathan-bailey-shirtless-book-reading-photos\/\"  > out of the spotlight,<\/a> he confirmed that he&#8217;s been in a relationship with a &#8220;lovely man&#8221; during a December 2023 interview with <em>Evening Standard. <\/em>Learn more about Jonathan&#8217;s love life and what he&#8217;s said about his private relationship.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DCYcbR4oyuk\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:500px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DCYcbR4oyuk\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;utm_campaign=loading\"  style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\"  target=\"_blank\"  > <\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px\">\n<div style=\"color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-5\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-6\"><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Jonathan Is Open About His Sexuality<\/h2>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-7\">Jonathan has been out to his family and friends since his early 20s, according to a 2022\u00a0<em><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.gq.com\/story\/gq-hype-jonathan-bailey\"  target=\"_blank\"  >GQ<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>profile. He did admit that early on in his career, he tried to hide his sexuality. &#8220;There&#8217;s two things we don&#8217;t want to know: if you&#8217;re an alcoholic or if you&#8217;re gay,&#8221; he recalled a friend telling him. &#8220;So, yeah, of course I thought that.\u00a0<em>Of course<\/em> I thought that in order to be happy I needed to be straight.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-8\">He admitted that later he realized that he&#8217;d be more comfortable being out with his sexuality rather than working about his work. \u201cI reached a point where I thought, Fuck this, I&#8217;d much prefer to hold my boyfriend&#8217;s hand in public or be able to put my own face picture on Tinder and not be so concerned about that than getting a part,&#8221; he told\u00a0<em>GQ.<\/em><\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-9\">He also recalled the pressure from the entertainment business in a 2020 conversation with Sir\u00a0<strong>Ian McKellen\u00a0<\/strong>for\u00a0<em><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.attitude.co.uk\/culture\/film-tv\/bridgerton-star-jonathan-bailey-talks-sexuality-and-acting-with-sir-ian-mckellen-302200\/\"  rel=\"nofollow\"  target=\"_blank\"  >Attitude<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>&#8220;This was at a stage where perhaps I was coming to terms with my own sexuality, I hadn\u2019t necessarily hidden it\u2026 But I\u2019ve never been not honest about it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;here\u2019s a sense of shame, I think, that\u2019s palpable throughout gay men within the industry. But then there\u2019s also this heteronormative, heterosexual understanding of sexuality.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>His Commitment to LGBTQ+ Visibility<\/h2>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-10\">In the above-mentioned interview with\u00a0<em>Attitude,\u00a0<\/em>Jonathan revealed that he hoped for more visibility from the gay community, while also maintaining a sense of privacy. &#8220;I\u2019ll talk about my versatility on stage. For me, it\u2019s about visibility. That\u2019s it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Playing straight characters, wanting to be visible, but also knowing that there are lots of things about my life that are personal, and I don\u2019t want to cross that line. But visibility is key.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-11\">Jonathan has also shared his own experience with being threatened because of his sexuality in the above-mentioned\u00a0<em>Evening Standard\u00a0<\/em>interview. The\u00a0<em>Bridgerton\u00a0<\/em>star also spoke about how this experience wasn&#8217;t necessarily unique. &#8220;It&#8217;s international. And it&#8217;s terrifying, that [here in the UK] we&#8217;re not looking after queer people, in terms of allowing them into the country. Because that is the reality; people\u2019s lives are literally at risk,&#8221; he said. &#8220;People are still living in the closet. Or they\u2019ve had a moment where they&#8217;re watching and they realise, that was their father&#8217;s story, or their mother&#8217;s story; or it\u2019s people who have been affected by this, but for the first time are understanding the trauma.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>What Has He Said About Love?<\/h2>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-12\">Jonathan admitted that he does believe in love at first sight in an April 2022\u00a0<em><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.townandcountrymag.com\/leisure\/arts-and-culture\/a39585805\/jonathan-bailey-anthony-bridgerton-season-2-interview\/\"  rel=\"nofollow\"  target=\"_blank\"  >Town and Country<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>interview. &#8220;I believe in romance and love in all forms,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;I believe that we all have to believe. That&#8217;s what is the fundamental faith that keeps us going.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DB7dUC1I_1r\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:500px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DB7dUC1I_1r\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;utm_campaign=loading\"  style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\"  target=\"_blank\"  > <\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px\">\n<div style=\"color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-13\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-14\"><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Why He Keeps His Relationship Private<\/h2>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-15\">While Jonathan admitted that he has someone special in his life in the\u00a0<em>Evening Standard\u00a0<\/em>piece, he did admit that he does try to separate his work from his personal life. While he&#8217;s not keeping his relationship a &#8220;secret,&#8221; he does prefer to keep it &#8220;private&#8221; from the public eye. &#8220;Having a private life is, for me, completely critical. I don&#8217;t know if I would be able to be as confident to speak out on other things if I felt that my whole life was up for grabs,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<h2>Who Is Jonathan Hailey&#8217;s Boyfriend?<\/h2>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-16\">Bailey has kept his love life largely private, but he\u2019s been romantically linked to actor and fellow theater talent <strong>James Ellis<\/strong> for several years. The pair first sparked dating rumors in 2019 after they shared a kiss at the Olivier Awards, just before Jonathan accepted his award for <em data-start=\"445\" data-end=\"455\">Company.<\/em> While it\u2019s unclear if they\u2019re still together today, Bailey confirmed in a 2023 <em data-start=\"535\" data-end=\"553\">Evening Standard<\/em> interview that he\u2019s in a relationship with a \u201clovely man,\u201d though he chose not to reveal his partner\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-17\">\u201cIt\u2019s not secret, but it\u2019s private,\u201d he told the <em data-node-id=\"8.1\"><a  class=\"body-link css-103hk4r emevuu60\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.standard.co.uk\/culture\/tvfilm\/jonathan-bailey-fellow-travelers-paramount-plus-interview-bridgerton-b1126156.html\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"  data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.standard.co.uk\/culture\/tvfilm\/jonathan-bailey-fellow-travelers-paramount-plus-interview-bridgerton-b1126156.html\"  data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\"  data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Evening Standard\"  data-node-id=\"8.1.0\"  >Evening Standard<\/a><\/em>. \u201cHaving a private life is, for me, completely critical. I don\u2019t know if I would be able to be as confident to speak out on other things if I felt that my whole life was up for grabs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After being named People\u2019s Sexiest Man Alive for 2025, Jonathan Bailey\u2019s love life is back in the spotlight. Here\u2019s what we know about his mystery man boyfriend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":191609899,"featured_media":5453353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exclude_post_from_river":false,"_cr_original_post":"","_cr_replace_post_id":"","_cr_replacing_post_id":"","mt_seo_title":"Who Is Jonathan Bailey's Partner? What We Know About His Boyfriend","mt_seo_description":"After being named People\u2019s Sexiest Man Alive for 2025, the actor\u2019s love life is back in the spotlight. 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