Video: Jonathan Bailey Pays Tribute to the LGBTQ+ Community in His Critics Choice Award Acceptance Speech

Jonathan Bailey took home the Critics Choice Award this weekend for Best Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie Made For Television for his role in Fellow Travelers.

In his speech, Bailey paid tribute to the LGBTQ+ community.

“This series is a much-needed reminder that LGBTQ+ people have always existed. Mostly hidden," he said in his heartfelt speech. "They have always been fighting for an easier life for the generations that follow. So I thank those who came before me. You created a world where I can stand here today and win an award for telling their story."

Check out his full speech in the video!

Jonathan Bailey is set to take on the role of Fiyero in the upcoming Wicked film.

Now best known for his roles on screen, Bailey is no stranger to the stage. He began his career as a child actor in Royal Shakespeare Company productions and by eight was performing as Gavroche in a West End production of Les Misérables. He has since starred in contemporary plays such as South Downs in 2012, The York Realist in 2018, and Cock in 2022; in classical plays like the Royal National Theatre's Othello in 2013 and Chichester Festival Theatre's King Lear in 2017; as well as in musicals, namely the London revival of The Last Five Years in 2016 and the West End gender-swapped revival of Company for which he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical in 2019.

On screen, Bailey starred in the action-adventure series Leonardo (2011–2012) and the musical-comedy Groove High (2012–2013) before becoming known for his roles in the crime drama Broadchurch (2013–2015), the satire W1A (2014–2017), and the comedy Crashing (2016). He gained international recognition for his portrayal of Anthony, Viscount Bridgerton, in the Regency romance series Bridgerton (2020–present). Bailey has since starred in the romantic drama miniseries Fellow Travelers (2023), for which he won a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor.