Jonathan Bailey opens up on taking break from acting

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Jonathan Bailey is clearing up recent buzz about stepping away from acting, and he wants fans to know he isn’t going anywhere permanently.

The Wicked star shared that his earlier comments about pausing his career were misunderstood.  Advertisement

He explained that while he plans to slow down briefly, he hasn’t quit acting.  

Bailey said he chose to step back from two upcoming film roles so he could dedicate more time to The Shameless Fund, his charity focused on raising money for LGBTQ+ organizations through collaborations with global brands.

“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,” he told Esquire UK.  

Because of that, he said there was “an unfortunate misquote that said I’d stopped acting for a bit.”  

He added, “My intention was to say, ‘Next year I’ll be back,’ but yeah, the ripple effect was extraordinary.”

The reaction online surprised him. “By Monday, the headlines were ‘Jonathan Bailey has quit acting,’” he recalled. “I learnt at that moment that you can’t control it.”

Bailey clarified that although it’s “correct” he won’t be appearing in new roles in 2026, the break won’t be long.  

He confirmed, “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.” Fans will still see him in Season 4 of Bridgerton, arriving on Netflix in January.

His original comments came back in September, when he reflected on how nonstop his schedule has been.  

“I’ve been working solidly for about three years now, which has been amazing and mind-blowing,” he told British GQ. He shared then that he hoped to step back briefly to focus on The Shameless Fund.

In the coming months, he plans to work on growing the organization.  

“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 said.  

He highlighted how little funding typically reaches LGBTQ+ causes, saying, “There’s this statistic: out of every £100 raised in the U.K., only 1 [penny] goes to the LGBTQ+ community.”  

He believes The Shameless Fund can help close that gap.

While Bailey is hitting pause to give his charity the attention it needs, he made it clear he’ll return soon, a relief for fans eager to see more of his work.