Jonathan Bailey Didn't Just Win the Sexiest Man Alive Title, He Made History

It’s official! Jonathan Bailey has just been crowned People’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2025 and he’s making history while he’s at it.

The Bridgerton star, 37, was unveiled as this year’s honoree during a dramatic reveal on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Fallon kicked things off with a few cheeky clues for the audience, teasing, “You might be familiar with his slutty little glasses,” before adding, “He had a fantastic year starring in not one but two giant blockbusters, Jurassic World: Rebirth and Wicked.”

When Fallon finally announced Bailey’s name, a set of blue curtains opened to reveal the actor standing proudly in front of his People magazine cover.

Fallon joined him onstage and asked the obvious question: “How does it feel?”

“It’s an honor of a lifetime,” Bailey said before joking, “And I want to say, Jimmy, thank you so much for turning it down so I could be here.”

Beyond the excitement, Bailey’s win is also groundbreaking as he’s the first openly gay man to hold the title in the feature’s 40-year history.

People’s Sexiest Man Alive has been a pop culture staple since 1985, when Mel Gibson took the inaugural title. Last year’s winner was John Krasinski, joining a long list of Hollywood favorites like Patrick Dempsey, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Michael B. Jordan and more.

Bailey shared that he first got the news at the start of 2025, while performing in a production of Shakespeare’s Richard II.