‘Fellow Travelers’ Forever: Matt Bomer Reacts to Jonathan Bailey’s Sexiest Man Alive Honor

It’s been a wickedly good week for Jonathan Bailey.

The Emmy nominated actor, who next stars as Fiyero in Jon M. Chu’s Wicked: For Good opposite Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, found himself in the spotlight thanks to being named People’s Sexiest Man Alive. The 37-year-old British actor is the first openly gay man to land the coveted title, which was revealed Monday night.

“I mean, it’s a huge honor. Obviously, I’m incredibly flattered. And it’s completely absurd,” he told the magazine. “I’m quite excited for some friends and family to find out.”

One of those friends who got the news was Matt Bomer, Bailey’s Emmy nominated co-star on the Ron Nyswaner-created Fellow Travelers for Showtime. The Hollywood Reporter happened to be sharing some scheduled time on Zoom with Bomer Tuesday to discuss his new Mackage campaign, and we asked for his response to Bailey’s good news.

“I’m glad the world has finally woken up to what we’ve all known for years, and I could not be more proud and happy for Johnny. I love him dearly, and he is more than deserving of this title. It’s long overdue,” explained the actor. The fact that he’s the first from the LGBTQ community makes it that much more impactful, he added.

“Part of me feels like I can’t believe it’s taken until 2025, but I’m just grateful that we’re here today,” Bomer added. “I think you have to put that aside and then say, hey, progress is progress, and this is phenomenal. And I’m glad that Johnny was the guy. He’s the perfect person to hold the mantle.”

Bailey follows directly in the footsteps of John Krasinski. Past recipients of People‘s Sexiest Man Alive title include Chris Evans, John Legend, Michael B. Jordan, Paul Rudd, Ryan Reynolds, Chris Hemsworth, Bradley Cooper, Dwayne Johnson, Idris Elba, Adam Levine, Richard Gere, Channing Tatum and David Beckham.