Jonathan Bailey admits he would consider ‘co-parenting with a woman’ as star reveals he’s ‘reading books on adoption’

Jonathan Bailey has admitted he would consider ‘co-parenting with a woman’ despite being an openly gay man, as he revealed he is ‘reading books about adoption’.

The Bridgerton star, 36, who is currently taking the world by storm following his performance as Fiyero in the screenplay adaptation of Wicked, opened up about the details of his personal life in a new interview with Fashion.

He said, ‘Yes, it’s such a privilege for a man, but I can’t incorporate children into my lifestyle right now. I want to make sure I’ll be there; I read books about adoption.’

The Olivier award-winning actor mused, “I may be co-parenting with a woman, but I think it will be with a man.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Jonathan revealed he was harassed in the street after holding hands with his ex-boyfriend.

He recalled, “I have always been a confident handholder in relationships. I had a friend who had no experience holding hands in public.

‘We were harassed in London. But that kind of behavior now does not outweigh the smile you get.’

Jonathan also opened up about the process of discovering his sexuality, as he revealed that it was a gradual realization.

He added: ‘I think other people understood my sexuality before I was even aware of it.’

Recalling a sleepover with grade school friends as a child, he said, “I remember asking them excitedly, ‘Guys, guys, who else thinks they’re gay? You too? Me too. I think. “

“It was a conversation I really wanted to have, to see if everyone else was on the same page. But everyone became silent.’

His teacher at school later called him out in front of the whole class. He continued, “I was having trouble with my job and he said, ‘Well, if you weren’t so busy being a fairy, you’d understand.’

While Jonathan keeps his private life out of the spotlight, the star sparked romance rumors with James Ellis in 2019 after the pair shared a kiss at the Olivier Awards.

When Jonathan received the award, he grabbed James’ head as the pair hugged before heading to the podium.

However, the couple never confirmed their relationship or revealed that they were officially dating.

Jonathan later dated a girl for two years in his early experience and the pair are still good friends.

He explained: “It’s interesting with the binary where you’re seen as this or that. That’s how I saw it at the time, but there are so many nuances.

‘My experience with that relationship was not that I was in the shadows. She remains one of my best friends.’

When revealing his plans to start a family, the star admitted that he does see children in his future, but now is not the right time.

“Yes, it’s such a privilege for a man, but I can’t incorporate children into my lifestyle right now,” he admitted.

‘I want to make sure I’m there, I read books about adoption. I may co-parent with a woman, but I think it will be with a man.”

Jonathan previously revealed he was very aware of his sexuality after playing a heterosexual character in Netflix’s hit Bridgerton.

He explained that the media attention that came with the famous show put his sexuality in the spotlight, as he admitted that it felt very strange after his private life became part of the publicity for the show.

The Wicked star contrasted his experience on Bridgerton with working on Heartstopper, which he said he found cathartic because he was playing a gay character.

The Crashing actor told Vanity Fair: ‘Doing Bridgerton – it’s funny what goes into doing a lot of press, and suddenly there’s a lot people want to know about you, and a lot is asked of you, that’s clear in any other industry, which you don’t have to talk about.

“So I was hyper-aware of the complexities and nuances of how I felt about being a gay man, let alone a gay actor, and suddenly finding success playing a heterosexual role and talking about it.”

Jonathan went on to discuss how much he loved Heartstopper and the graphic novel it is based on, revealing that he ‘locked into’ the role.

However, he added that it changed his perspective on growing up as a gay man.

He said: ‘Heartstopper seems to allow people to feel catharsis and a kind of melancholic kind of nostalgia for what could have been. I felt all those things anyway.’

See the full article in the January issue of British Vogue, available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday 17 December.