"Wicked" star Jonathan Bailey says a teacher called him a homophobic slur when he was young

LOS ANGELES, CA. November 09, 2024: Jonathan Bailey at the premiere for Wicked at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Wicked star Jonathan Bailey did not come out as gay until his mid-20s, but he had inklings about his sexuality throughout his childhood.

Bailey, who plays straight heartthrob Fiyero in the film, recently told British Vogue that he really wanted to explore these feelings when he was a kid. He recalled declaring at a sleepover with his friends, “Guys, guys, who else thinks they’re gay? Do you? I do. I do.”

“It was a conversation I really, really wanted to have, to see if everyone else was on the same page,” he continued. “But everyone went quiet.”

Bailey spoke about how he always loved singing, dancing, and playing dress-up and how his parents supported his love for ballet.

He also said a teacher once insulted him for all of this. “I was having trouble with my work and he said, ‘Well, if you weren’t so busy being a fairy you’d understand.’”

Bailey also said he really wants children and has been reading books on adoption. “I might coparent with a woman,” he said, “but I’m thinking it will be with a man.”

Bailey is far from the only LGBTQ+ member of the Wicked cast. There is also Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba), Bowen Yang (Pfannee), Bronwyn James (Shenshen), and Marissa Bode (Nessarose).

The film, itself, has also been celebrated for its queerness. Ariana Grande, who stars as Glinda, called it “beautifully queer,” saying that Oz is a “celebration of uniqueness.”

Erivo, who stars as the green-skinned Elphaba, agreed that the film is a celebration of people who feel othered. “I do think that both Glinda and Elphaba are just different. Both of them are almost, like, other, you know?” she said.

Both actresses were fully onboard with fans who “ship” their characters.

“It’s a relationship,” Erivo insisted. “It is true love, which is probably why people are shipping it, you know, because what they build with each other is an unbreakable bond and love.”

“And trust and truth and just such a safe space for one another,” Grande added. “Which is what all relationships should be.”

The “Thank You, Next” singer then took it a step further. “So, you know, whether it’s romantic or platonic — Glinda might be a little in the closet — but if there were a time, you never know. Give it a little more time,” she said.

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Originally published here.