'Bridgerton' star Jonathan Bailey's unexpected career move: 'Wicked' actor's shock announcement leaves fans heartbroken

'Wicked' star Jonathan Bailey has announced a surprising break from his successful acting career to focus on LGBTQ+ charity work, reports E Online. Jonathan Bailey, seen in Jurassic World: Rebirth, Fellow Travelers and multiple seasons of Bridgerton, has decided to shift gears.

The 37-year-old actor launched The Shameless Fund, a charity that “aims to help members of the queer community across the world live freely and authentically”, in 2024.

Jonathan Bailey quits acting

“I've been working solidly for about three years now, which has been amazing and mind-blowing,” he told British GQ in an interview published September 3. “But with everything happening in the world right now, I'm going to stop acting for a bit next year and just focus on the Shameless Fund."


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“Over the next few months, I'll be focusing on staffing and making sure we get all the right people in all the right places,” he told GQ.

“There’s this statistic: out of every £100 raised in the UK, only 1p goes to the LGBTQ+ community. You really have to dig to find solutions, and I genuinely think The Shameless Fund is exactly that.”

The Shameless Fund is a UK-based charity founded by Jonathan that raises funds for non-profit organizations supporting the LGBTQ+ community by partnering with global brands. Fans went gaga over Bailey wearing “slutty little glasses” during red carpet appearances on the recent Wicked and Jurassic World Rebirth press tour.

Beyond the opportunity to “make a real difference,” Jonathan sees the fund and its partnerships as a way to be “fun and creative.” The small, round frames are now featured in The Shameless Fund’s collaboration with the eyewear brand Cubitts, resulting in the launch of a stylish pink pair of sunglasses.

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Jonathan’s Wicked costar Cynthia Erivo donned the rose-tinted spectacles and promoted the brand on her Instagram last month. Plus, Scarlett Johansson also sported the glasses recently in a sultry pic with Jonathan, who playfully bit her neck while she posed for the camera. She also participated in the fund’s steamy “Drink Your Milk” partnership with fashion brand Loewe last year.

Bailey catapulted in the Regency romance series Bridgerton, before starring in the political miniseries Fellow Travelers, which won him an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In 2024, he took on the role of Fiyero in the film adaptation of the musical fantasy Wicked, earning a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The film’s second part Wicked: For Good is set to release in theatres on 21 November 2025.

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