Jonathan Bailey publicly came out as gay in 2018. He had come out to his friends and family much earlier in his 20s. The 37-year-old British actor was named the People's Sexiest Man Alive for 2025. After hearing the news of taking the title, Bailey, while speaking to People, said,"I mean, it's a huge honor. Obviously, I'm incredibly flattered. And it's completely absurd. I'm quite excited for some friends and family to find out."Bailey started his career as a child actor in the U.K. and graduated to become an acclaimed theater performer. He is best known for playing the role of Lord Anthony Bridgerton in the Netflix drama Bridgerton. Bailey is openly gay, and his other TV credits include Fellow Travelers and Heartstopper.Jonathan Bailey opens up about coming outIn a March 2022 interview with GQ UK, Jonathan Bailey opened up about how he wasn't comfortable coming out early in his career."I reached a point where I thought, F**k this, I'd much prefer to hold my boyfriend'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."Bailey has been outspoken about his sexuality and in March 2021, spoke to The Evening Standard about the "history of needing to be closeted to succeed and be famous, especially in acting."Bailey noted that "everyone should be able to play absolutely everything" and that it's quite disheartening to see straight actors get gay characters."There just aren't that many gay roles, so when straight actors go to take that space up, it's eliminating the chance for other (gay actors.)In another interview with British Vogue published in December 2024, Jonathan Bailey talked about exploring his sexuality in his early 20s. The actor recalled dating a girl for a couple of years and coming out to his family at the same time."It's interesting with the binary, where you're perceived to be either this or that. That's how I saw it at the time, but there are so many nuances to it. My experience of that relationship was not that I was in the shadows. She remains one of my best friends."The actor revealed that even before he was aware of his own sexuality, people around him picked it up, and also added that his parents supported him wanting to get ballet lessons at a young age.