Jonathan Bailey Clarifies Rumors About Quitting Acting

Fans flooded the internet, thinking Jonathan Bailey was taking a break from acting.

In fact, Jonathan Bailey, the performer best known for Bridgerton, now admits it was a misquotation and blames the internet for the confusion.

“I then did an interview with a magazine when I was cycling between Rome and Pisa on the way to a friend’s wedding, and the internet kept cutting out,” the Wicked star shares with Esquire, pointing to his earlier interview with British GQ in which he said he would focus on his charity, The Shameless Fund, in 2026.

“As a result, there was an unfortunate misquote that said I’d stopped acting for a bit. My intention was to say, ‘Next year I’ll be back,’ but yeah, the ripple effect was extraordinary,” the star added.

He stated, “By Monday, the headlines were ‘Jonathan Bailey has quit acting,'” adding, “I learnt at that moment that you can’t control it.”

Jonathan Bailey went on to emphasize, “I mean as it stands at the moment, I’ll definitely be back to work next year. I’m not taking the whole of 2026 off.”