Jonathan Bailey made headlines the week of Nov. 3 — including the honor of being crowned People’s Sexiest Man Alive. Yup. He’s been honored as 2025’s sexiest man, and is the first openly gay man to receive the nod. (What took so long?!) But later that week, on Nov. 6, Bailey was notably missing from NBC’s Wicked: One Wonderful Night special. So why couldn’t People’s (and Oz’s) Sexiest Man Alive make it to the Wicked NBC special?
Wicked: One Wonderful Night was a special chance for fans of the movie-musical to see their favorite stars perform songs from the film, and share the inside scoop on what happened behind the scenes while making both films. Some hints and sneak peeks were even given to fans, to promote the upcoming Wicked: For Good, which will be released on Nov 21. So while stars Ariana Grande (Glinda), Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba), Jeff Goldblum (The Wizard), Bowen Yang (Pfannee), Marissa Bode (Nessarose), Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible), and Ethan Slater (Boq) performed for the TV special, Bailey unfortunately wasn’t in attendance. With him top of mind, I’m sure fans missed him on their screens. But the answer simpler than you’d think.
Where Was Jonathan Bailey During The NBC Wicked special?
Though Bailey would have loved to be there, he had to miss out because of scheduling conflicts. The special was taped on Sept. 24 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, when the Bridgerton star was in London filming a new project and participating in a press photo shoot that sadly kept him from being there for the live audience special.Â
Jonathan Bailey Wasn’t Missing For The Whole Special, though.
For those that were disappointed he had to miss out on most of the magical fun, you’ll be happy to hear that Bailey did make it to a pre-recorded segment where he and his castmates discussed their Wicked auditions. Bailey talked about his own, where he sent in a tape of himself singing “Dancing Through Life.”Â
“Dancing Through Life” Still had a moment.
For fans who were worried they wouldn’t be able to hear “Dancing Through Life” performed live, don’t worry. While it may not have been performed by Bailey, it was performed by three of his costars: Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, and Bowen Yang. The three don’t seem to agree, though, on which one of them deserves to be Bailey’s understudy, so you’ll have to watch them battle it out on stage.
You can stream Wicked: One Wonderful Night on Peacock on Nov. 7 to see the rest of the wickedly wonderful cast, and get ready to watch Wicked: For Good in theaters on Nov. 21.