December brings cozy sweaters, kitschy styles, and camaraderie by the mile. We exchange heartfelt gifts with our loved ones and ironic gifts with our quirky friends, wrapping them all in a kingdom of ribbons, bows, and panache aplenty.
And every kingdom needs its ruler. Cue Jonathan Bennett.
“The Gay King of Christmas!” Bennett gleefully announces his next-level nickname to kick off our conversation.
“Christmas is a really wonderful, magical time for many people,” beams the star of mega hits like Mean Girls, Halloween Wars and The Groomsmen trilogy. But Bennett balances his eternal optimism with a healthy dash of empathy. “I also think it’s a really hard time for many people. And so, in telling queer love stories to a mainstream audience, I realize that part of my job is to give everyone, but especially queer people, something that they can look forward to and something where they can feel like Christmas is for them as well.”
That merry mix of humor, heart, and the human condition form the foundation of Bennett’s most recent telemovie triumph.
Jonathan Bennett (Photo: Ernie Westman for Metrosource, Wardrobe: Mr. Turk, Location: The Vibe Palm Springs)
“Keller Christmas Vacation is actually loosely based on my own life. My dad used to take us on a houseboat trip every year with me and my siblings, who didn’t get along. And the reason he would do that is he said, ‘You guys have to talk to each other cause you’re on a boat and there’s nowhere to go.’
Bennett transformed his IRL ick into inspiration, Hallmark Channel style.
“He called it ‘forced family fun’ and over the years of doing that, it actually helped us grow closer. So, I thought, what a fun idea for a Christmas movie. What if we put a dysfunctional family, where the siblings are at odds, and we dropped them on a Christmas market river cruise in the middle of Europe? Because when you take this gorgeous background of all the Christmas markets and the Vienna Cathedral, and you add a family that’s arguing, it’ll be a movie that so many people relate to… Most families have dysfunction in them, so over the holidays, having a family that everyone can relate to and say, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s my brother, or that’s my sister,’ I thought was so funny.”
When it came time to fill the roles of his Keller siblings, Bennett pulled off a SUPER casting coup.
“I’ve known Brandon Routh since we were on soap operas in New York City together,” Bennett recounts. “Everyone mistook us for each other. They thought I was him and he was me. When I booked Mean Girls, everyone kept asking him if he was Aaron Samuels and when he got Superman, everyone asked if I was Superman. So jokingly, we said we have to play brothers in a movie someday. When I created Keller Christmas Vacation with Tracy Andreen, I knew right then and there that Brandon was the guy to play my brother.”
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s holiday gold!
Hallmark movies fall into two distinct categories: BGK or AGK – Before Gay Kiss or After Gay Kiss. One momentous same sex lip-lock puckered its way into history when Bennett and his on-screen hubby snuck a seasonal smooch in the Hallmark original film The Christmas House. It was a seismic smackeroo, changing the fabulous face of the brand for (gay) good.
“I knew from that first kiss I did back in 2020 that my mission now is to tell queer love stories and formulate them for a mainstream audience so that way we can change hearts and minds. It’s such a responsibility that I don’t take lightly and it’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.”
But Christmas isn’t the only holiday that Bennett sprinkles with his signature star power.
Jonathan Bennett (Photo: Ernie Westman for Metrosource, Wardrobe: Mr. Turk, Location: The Vibe Palm Springs)
“This will be my 10th year as the official host of Times Square New Year’s Eve and it’s the best job in the world. I get to stand center stage in the middle of Times Square for six hours and ring in the New Year, which is such a wonderful time because a lot of people need new beginnings or need closure from the past year. So even though New Year’s Eve is a party, it’s really an emotional experience for some people. So, to get to stand there and lead the party for six hours, it’s just magic is what it is.”
Abraca-awesome! Bennett has a blast weaving wonder from year to year, and he’s often joined by his soulful soulmate Jaymes Vaughan (this month’s GED Magazine cover artist).
“Times Square Alliance, who puts on New Year’s Eve, they’re such advocates for equality and inclusion. They’ve actually had my husband come up and host a bunch of segments with me. We actually are the first gay couple to ever host New Year’s Eve. I mean sure, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen hosted, but we’re the first gay *couple* to ever be seen on camera hosting the biggest party in the world where all the eyes are watching and that’s a huge deal.”
Huge is an understatement … by a factor of a billion.
“We are the official live stream from Times Square,” Bennett announces. “It’s seen by almost a billion people that night. That’s a lot of eyes! And so, to go up there and have a relationship on New Year’s Eve just like every other straight couple is really powerful.”
Representation, romance, and real change – these are the values that Jonathan Bennett is bringing into 2026. Exhibit A: his recent trip aboard the Norwegian Joy spawned a docu-series entitled Christmas at Sea, which follows fortunate fans and their favorite talent on a holiday themed voyage to the Caribbean.
“The Hallmark Christmas Cruise is a really amazing experience,” Bennett exclaims. “Hallmark fans are the best fans in the world. We got to go on a cruise ship with 6,000 fans, 18 of the Hallmark stars, and have a giant Christmas party at sea for five days.”
The heartthrob surfs a tide of smiles as he continues, “We get to interact with the fans here, listen to what they have to say about our movies and hear what Hallmark Channel means to them, and you get to meet them and give back to them and take pictures with them and you know to support them the way they support us.”
As bright as Bennett’s future is, he has a delightfully Zen way of focusing on the queer-and-now. The dreamiest of dreamers, he recently fulfilled a life goal when he starred on the Broadway stage in Monty Python’s Spamalot. His Sir Robin is a whirlwind of sight gags and scaredy-catlike reactions. Drawing rave reviews from Manhattan crowds and ensemble castmates alike, Bennett is the embodiment of enthusiasm. Even in the course of our interview, he bounces from topic to topic with unbridled zeal for every exchange.
Jonathan Bennett (Photo: Ernie Westman for Metrosource, Wardrobe: Mr. Turk, Location: The Vibe Palm Springs)
“Are we gonna talk about Finding Mr. Christmas?”
Bennett discusses his hit reality show like a kid on the morning of December 25th, eager to show off his favorite gift.
“Watch the show, dammit! It’s so good.”
You heard the man: tune in and fan out!
“Finding Mr. Christmas is the Hallmark Channel’s search for the next Christmas movie star,” narrates Bennett. “What we’re looking for in the next Christmas movie star is the five qualities you need to be a Hallmark leading man which are: you have to be charming. You have to be funny. You have to have a sense of humor. You have to be kind, and you have to have a whole lotta heart and of course you’ve gotta look good in and out of a Christmas sweater, because that’s part of the job.”
Sexiness is all in a day’s work. And that work gives Bennett endless joy as a creator, producer and host of Finding Mr. Christmas.
“This season, we put the guys through different acting challenges based on the tropes of all of the Hallmark movies. So, we gamify the meet/cute, we gamify the first date, we gamify the kiss at the end of the movie. All the tropes that we’ve come to know and love from Hallmark movies, we actually make each of those a challenge for the guys.”
Challenge accepted! So, what are some of the star’s standout moments from the series?
“One of my favorite challenges is the meet/cute where we put the guys on snow skis and they had to do a scene with Hallmark legend Janel Parrish while they were skiing downhill, they had 10 minutes to learn their lines, and then they had to perform the scene skiing downhill and saying their lines and they had one take to get it right. That’s one of my favorite challenges. Another one of my favorite challenges is with Ali Sweeney, who’s another Hallmark legend. The guys had to go on horseback and perform their scene while riding horses on a first date and that was absolutely brilliant and hilarious to watch because half the guys had never ridden horses before … and you can tell. That gives us some great reality TV.”
If you want to be America’s next sweetheart, sourpusses need not apply.
“Anyone with a bad attitude is a dealbreaker usually,” assesses Bennett. “They have to be on set with a crew and cast and get along with everyone and have an upbeat, fun attitude and be grateful to be working. I think that’s what every Hallmark star does.”
It’s more than a job; it’s a festive philosophy.
“What’s so great about Finding Mr. Christmas is, sure it’s a reality competition, but really it’s a show about bonding and brotherhood.” Brimming with pride, Bennet declares, “Our 10 guys come into the show as competitors, but they leave as brothers because it’s not your average reality show where there’s fighting and drink throwing. Ours is pure Hallmark Channel, so it’s completely the opposite. It’s these guys coming in and actually supporting each other, being vulnerable, and helping each other through the competition. By doing that, they’re showing the traits of a Hallmark leading man, but they’re also becoming better themselves because when you help others succeed you end up shining and that’s what this show’s about.”
Bennett’s projects draw you in until you feel like you’re part of his orbit, his inner circle, and his electrifying presence. The audience loves him, but they also fuel his passion for the next yuletide hit.
“The best way that you can support us is to just watch Finding Mr. Christmas and to watch Keller Christmas Vacation.”
Breaking the fourth wall, Bennett speaks directly to you, so get ready to swoon. “By watching, you’re supporting us and I think it’s really magical when the community comes together and supports each other.”
Caring courses through Bennett’s veins. He is a GLAAD award winner, a Human Rights Campaign honoree, and the recent recipient of a coveted spot on the Palm Springs Walk of the Stars. Theater, philanthropy, laughter, and longevity – achievement is Jonathan Bennett’s love language, and it’s sharper than Cupid’s arrow.
He does it all with ease, he does it all effortlessly, and he does it all for the next up and coming gay artist whose biggest holiday wish is acceptance.
Jonathan Bennett (Photo: Ernie Westman for Metrosource, Wardrobe: Mr. Turk, Location: The Vibe Palm Springs)
“I make TV shows and movies where the queerness is celebrated and embraced because, for a lot of queer people, Christmas can be a little tough. It’s the time when people go home to their families and sometimes their families aren’t as welcoming as others. So, it can be a really crunchy time. I thought if I can just make some movies and shows that queer people can watch during the holidays and feel seen and feel loved and maybe laugh a little bit, then that’s my mission.”
Whether you’re stuck on a holiday houseboat or feeling adrift in a sea of intolerance, Jonathan Bennett issues a royal reminder: your orientation is a gift. You belong to the big, boisterous, and bitchingly brash kingdom of queer belonging. All hail the Gay King of Christmas!
Last modified: December 2, 2025
