Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Gay Actor Jonathan Bailey Reveals Homophobe Recently Threatened To Shoot Him In D.C. Coffee Shop

Jonathan Bailey
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

The 'Bridgerton' star told London's 'The Evening Standard' how he was in a D.C. coffee shop the morning after the Human Rights Campaign gala in October when a man threatened to shoot him if he didn't take off his HRC cap.

Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey has revealed a harrowing encounter he had recently at a coffee shop in Washington, D.C. with a homophobic man who threatened his life.

The British-born actor told the UK's The Evening Standardof the incident, which occurred in October the morning after LGBTQ advocacy organization the Human Rights Campaign's annual gala.


The man threatened to shoot Bailey if he didn't remove his hat.

Bailey had attended the HRC gala to honor his Fellow Travelers costar Matt Bomer, who was given an award at the October 14th event.

The following morning, Bailey said he was chatting with the coffee shop barista, who had recognized him from Bridgerton, when the man approached him, asking if he was 'famous.' Then, upon seeing his hat, began to berate him.

He told The Evening Standard:

“Then he got my cap, and he pulled it off my head and he threw it across the room and he said, ‘Get out of this f**king coffee shop, you queer.”

Bailey then went to retrieve his hat, and when he put it back on the man threatened to kill him, telling him:

"'If you don’t take that cap off, I’m gonna f**king shoot you. Where I’m from, people like me kill people like you.'"

The actor said no one in the shop knew what to do apart from one woman named Angela, who began filming the encounter and defending Bailey, saying that he is "welcome in this country."

Bailey went on to say that the trauma of the encounter aside, what most worried him is how the man who attacked him may be influencing people back home in Pennsylvania, where he said he was from.

“Potentially, there is a kid who – that’s his father. That’s his uncle. That’s his teacher.”

He also said he felt a keen awareness that most queer people do not have the insulation of fame and security that he has.

"I’ve got friends and security. There are so many people that don’t. They are surrounded by that every day, and the torment of what that must be like, the amount of fear that was generated..."
"If that’s what children are surrounded by, they’re not going to be able to grow in any way.”

On social media, people were appalled by what happened to Bailey and the commentary on the state of our country the incident presents.





Bailey went on to say that the soaring rates of anti-LGBTQ hate crimes in both the US and his native UK in recent years prompted him to speak out about the encounter.

May this story be a wake-up call to all the would-be Angelas out there brave enough to stand up for LGBTQ+ people, or any marginalized people, when they come under threat.

More from News/lgbtq

Kid Rock
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Kid Rock Dragged After Donning A Truly Over-The-Top Outfit For His White House Visit

Singer Kid Rock was slammed for wearing a loud patriotic costume inside the Oval Office as Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday against ticket scalping.

The rocker's outfit consisted of a red, white, and blue jacket emblazoned with two eagles facing each other above the American flag with the number 250, a nod to America's upcoming 250th anniversary, and white stars on his sleeves.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Bill Cassidy
CNBC

MAGA Senator Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud With Epic Freudian Slip About Medicare

Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy was widely mocked following his inconvenient slip of the tongue during a CNBC interview as he mused about finding ways to "cut" Medicare before quickly correcting himself.

The exchange occurred after host Rebecca Quick pressed Louisiana Republican and former physician Bill Cassidy on how his party intended to fund the “trillion-dollar tax cuts” sought by President Donald Trump.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Tim Sheehy
CNN

GOP Senator Gets Blunt Reality Check After Comparing Trump Tariff 'Pain' To Home Renovation

Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy was criticized after he tried to compare the "short-term pain" of President Donald Trump's tariffs to home renovation, a claim so ridiculous that CNN's Kaitlan Collins quickly pushed back on the analogy.

Trump has repeatedly referred to April 2 as “Liberation Day,” pledging to impose tariffs—taxes on imports—to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign goods. He has framed these tariffs as “reciprocal,” aiming to match the duties other nations place on American exports.

Keep ReadingShow less
Susan Crawford; Elon Musk
Scott Olson/Getty Images (left and right)

Liberal Wisconsin Judge Calls Out Elon Musk In Victory Speech—And It's Everything

Liberal judge Susan Crawford called out billionaire Elon Musk in her victory speech after winning a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, basking in successfully beating her Republican opponent Brad Schimel and ensuring that the nonpartisan court’s narrow 4-3 liberal majority remains intact despite Musk's efforts to sway the race.

Musk fueled the high-stakes race, having poured more than $20 million into supporting Schimel, according to state campaign records. That includes $3 million to the state Republican Party—$2 million of which was donated just last week. Due to state election laws, large contributions must be funneled through political parties before reaching candidates.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Describe The Worst 'Bonus' They've Ever Gotten At Work

Most of us have worked at one problematic workplace, with reasons ranging from toxic coworkers to terrible bosses to unlivable pay. Sometimes, it feels like a joke that the employees are even being paid at all!

But the biggest joke of all might be the end-of-year bonus, or lack thereof. They're at times so laughable, they take the cake for horrible work conditions, or are quite literally, a slice of cake.

Keep ReadingShow less