Heavy/Getty Actor and host Jonathan Bennett
When Hallmark star Jonathan Bennett got into the entertainment business, first rising to fame as teen heartthrob Aaron Samuels in 2004’s “Mean Girls,” he never imagined he’d be seen one day as a trailblazer in the industry.
But Bennett, 42, continually breaks down barriers as an openly gay actor and host, proud of each chance he’s had to provide representation in key cultural moments, including his return to New York City’s Times Square on December 31, 2023, as the official host of its New Year’s Eve festivities.
With his husband Jaymes Vaughan by his side during much of the six-hour webcast, particularly during segments presented by KAY Jewelers, Bennett told Heavy, “Never in the history of the world has there ever been a gay couple that hosts Times Square New Year’s Eve, so it’s definitely something that’s really special.”
The couple, who married in March 2022, told Heavy that they have big plans for the broadcast as well as the year ahead.
Jonathan Bennett & Jaymes Vaughan Have Achieved Multiple ‘Firsts’ Together to Expand LGTBQ+ Representation
GettyJaymes Vaughan and Jonathan Bennett pose for a selfie on stage during the Times Square New Year’s Eve 2023 Celebration
While Bennett serves as ringmaster of the global webcast from Times Square, Vaughn, 40, will join his husband onstage for multiple segments, including encouraging revelers to take and share their midnight countdown selfies with KAY Jewelers’ #KayKiss TikTok filter. Doing so together is not just meaningful to Bennett and Vaughan, but to many of the millions watching, they said.
“We have so many people message us when they watch it with their partner saying, like, ‘Never in a million years did I think I’d see a (LGBTQ+) couple be co-hosts of a New Year’s Eve broadcast,'” Bennett told Heavy. “So, this is a special thing that we get to show representation for all people watching at home.”
“It’s so easy to forget that we’re getting to do a lot of the first of these things and it is really special,” Vaughan added. “I think about, like, when we were young, we didn’t see any representation of any gay couples anywhere…It would have been really helpful for me.”
Bennett told Heavy that when they began dating, he and Vaughan never intended to become such a visible couple blazing a trail for others, but that they’ve been thrilled to do their part.
For instance, the wedding ring Vaughan designed for Bennett with KAY Jewelers — a silver band with round-cut diamonds around one side of the ring — has become part of the company’s collection and a popular choice among LGBTQ+ couples. The duo was also the first gay couple on the cover of The Knot in 2021.
“We realized that when there’s a void in a space for someone that looks like you and has a love like yours, it’s your job to create it in that space,” Bennett said. “There’s just so many spots where we realize people that look like us weren’t there. So we realized, after a while, it’s kind of been our job to create that.”
“It’s something we’re always talking about now,” Vaughan added. “We want to do the work during our generation so it’s easier for the next generation.”
Jonathan Bennett Continues to Break Barriers at Hallmark, But Won’t Wear His Wedding Ring On Set
Hallmark Everett Andes, Jonathan Bennett, Mila Morgan, and George Krissa in “The Holiday Sitter”
Bennett has also been a trailblazer with Hallmark Channel, playing one of the network’s first gay characters in 2020’s ensemble movie “The Christmas House,” in which he and his on-screen husband, played by Brad Harder, shared the network’s first same-sex kiss.
He has since appeared in a sequel to that movie, and starred in the network’s first movie centered around a gay couple — 2022’s “The Holiday Sitter.” In this year’s “Christmas on Cherry Lane,” he and newcomer Vincent Rodriguez III played a married couple preparing to welcome their first foster child on Christmas Eve.
“You know, I think I’m the only actor that’s ever been a gay lead in four Christmas movies,” he marveled to Heavy. “Like, it’s never happened before. And we have more on the way!”
Bennett sang Hallmark’s praises for the way it has introduced more inclusive casting in recent years “in the most perfect way possible.”
“The way they started introducing different storylines in movies, I think it was executed with such grace and so flawlessly,” he told Heavy. “That was intentional. And I had a big part in that, in conversations when we were talking about these characters that we were going to play and put out there. It’s very important to do it in a specific manner so the audience…would be able to see a human being on-camera, not a caricature.”
“At Hallmark, we really want to have our movies reflect the audiences that watch them and Hallmark is for everybody,” Bennett continued. “We want to make sure that everyone can watch every movie and in those movies, you’ll see representation for everybody watching. Not necessarily every single person will be represented in every movie, but there’ll be a movie that comes out that you can look at and say, ‘Oh, that’s me!'”
One thing Hallmarkies won’t see, though, is Bennett wearing his custom wedding ring, as he prefers to wear one provided by the costume department during filming.
“I don’t ever like to bring (my ring) into a character because it loses the specialness of what it is with my real husband,” Bennett told Heavy.
Vaughan, who said he is “super proud” of all his husband has accomplished with Hallmark, made his first appearance on the network during a surprise cameo with Bennett in November’s “A Heidelberg Holiday.” But the couple said they’re not likely to co-star in any future Hallmark movies together.
“My husband is very good at a lot of things, but I wouldn’t say he’s the best actor,” Bennett laughed.
As for what is ahead for the couple in 2024, they were tight-lipped about a soon-to-be-announced endeavor that Bennett teased will be a “dream come true” scenario for him.
First, though, they’ll kick off the New Year’s webcast at 6 p.m. Eastern time and, according to the Times Square Alliance, will welcome a bevy of guests including performances by Paul Anka and Flo Rida.
Bennett and Vaughan will also interview the parents of a three-year-old named Beckett who has successfully completed eight months of cancer treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. They’ll appear to celebrate their son’s journey and KAY Jewelers’ $100 million fundraising commitment to ensure all children receive the treatment they need there.