Bridgerton Star Jonathan Bailey Crowned Sexiest Man Alive 2025 — See the A-Listers He Beat

Jonathan Bailey just added a very loud, very glossy title to his resume: People magazine has crowned the Bridgerton star its Sexiest Man Alive for 2025. Yeah, Lord Anthony Bridgerton is now officially People-sexy. And the way they rolled it out was very People: a surprise late-night reveal, dramatic covers, and a dog that absolutely steals focus.

The reveal

The announcement dropped Monday night on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Fallon unveiled two People covers: one of Bailey standing chest-deep in a rocky ocean like he is auditioning to be Poseidon, and another where he is shirtless and cuddling a fluffy dog. That dog, by the way, is Benson, Bailey's real-life sidekick. Peak People, and I say that with love.

Bailey is 37, British, and best known as Bridgerton's eldest sibling, Anthony. He follows 2024 title-holder John Krasinski and, notably, becomes the first openly gay actor to receive the honor. This also happens to be the 40th anniversary of People's Sexiest Man Alive tradition, which kicked off in 1985 with Mel Gibson. So yes, they went big for the milestone year.

Bailey on the moment

"It is a huge honor. Obviously I am incredibly flattered. And it is completely absurd."

He said he kept the whole thing under wraps, telling basically no one except Benson. He also had some fun with the secrecy, joking about how to spell NDA. On Fallon, he thanked the host for 'turning it down' so he could claim the spot, and when asked if people will treat him differently now, he cracked that he very much hopes so... expletive emphatically included.

When he found out

Bailey got the heads-up earlier this year while he was in London performing Shakespeare's Richard II. He described the invitation as somehow even wilder than doing Richard II itself and said he is proud to represent a different flavor of leading man in 2025.

How he got here

Bailey grew up in Oxfordshire, started performing as a kid, and built the kind of stage career that makes casting directors swoon, working with the Royal Shakespeare Company and across London's West End. Bridgerton took him global in 2020, and his Season 2 arc (and chemistry with Simone Ashley) made him a fan magnet. On the film side, he plays Prince Fiyero in Wicked and Dr. Henry Loomis in Jurassic World: Rebirth. Range for days.

The club he just joined

• Mel Gibson (the original, 1985)
• John Krasinski (2024)
• Patrick Dempsey
• Chris Evans
• Paul Rudd
• John Legend
• Michael B. Jordan
• Ryan Reynolds
• Adam Levine
• Channing Tatum
• David Beckham
• Idris Elba

So, congrats to Bailey, Benson, and the wet rocks. Bridgerton is streaming on Netflix in the U.S., in case you want to revisit the origin story of this particular coronation.