'Wicked' Put Jonathan Bailey in the Spotlight, but Mum's Still the Word on his Private Life

"His relationship status is off-limits," reported Nancy Durant for the Standard. "There's 'a lovely man', but that's all he'll say, 'It's not secret, but it's private,' he says. 'Having a private life is, for me, completely critical. I don'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.'"

Previously the 36-year old was said to be dating fellow actor James Ellis from 2019 to 2022. "Though neither ever publicly confirmed the romance, the Bridgerton star did attend the Olivier Awards with Ellis back in 2019 and shared a celebratory smooch with the man when he won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role award for 'Company', writes Parade.

In an interview with GQ, Bailey recalled some advice given by an industry insider to a queer actor he knew. "At the time he was told, 'There's two things we don't want to know: if you're an alcoholic or if you're gay.' " Those words stuck with Bailey. "All it takes is for one of those people in that position of power to say that, and it ripples through," he says. "So, yeah, of course I thought that. Of course I thought that in order to be happy I needed to be straight."

But as he evolved, Bailey realized there was something more important than career success, which was his happiness. "I reached a point where I thought, Fuck 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."