All About the Chronic Condition Jonathan Bennett’s Husband Is Battling

“Mean Girls” star Jonathan Bennett has opened up about a painful and long-hidden struggle his husband, Jaymes Vaughan, has faced for most of his adult life. In an emotional Instagram post on Sunday, the Hallmark actor revealed Vaughan has been battling a Schatzki ring—a condition that made eating nearly impossible.

Jonathan Bennett Opens Up About His Husband’s Life-Changing Surgery

Bennett, 44, posted a video showing Vaughan, 42, eating his first meal after surgery — a moment the couple will never forget.

“This is the first time over the over 3,400 meals I’ve sat across from him where I didn’t feel like he was fighting for his life just to get through it,” Bennett wrote. “My husband has a condition that made it impossible for him to eat without throwing up for almost his entire adult life. Yesterday he got the procedure to open up his throat and this is his first meal after fixing what’s called a Schatzki ring.”

Bennett explained that a Schatzki ring “is a ring of tissue that forms at the lower end of the esophagus, near where it connects with the stomach. It can make eating incredibly difficult.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, “A Schatzki ring is extra tissue that forms a circle on the inside of your lower esophagus. The ring narrows your esophagus so it may be hard for you to swallow food. Sometimes, food gets caught in your esophagus, causing sharp or burning pain. Healthcare providers may do procedures to stretch or remove the tissue.”

He added that he decided to share Vaughan’s health battle publicly “in case it could help someone who has this condition but didn’t know about it for 20 years like my husband. Talk to your doctor and ask questions — you never know how much it can help your life.”

An Emotional First Meal and an Outpouring of Support

In the video, Vaughan is seen enjoying an omelette and hash browns, smiling through tears as he talks to Bennett behind the camera.

“Oh my God, babe. Is this what it’s like when you eat and it goes down?” the “Amazing Race” alum asked in disbelief. Bennett replied simply, “Yes.”

Fans and celebrity friends quickly filled the comments with messages of love and support. Former Hallmark star Danica McKellar wrote, “Wow! I had no idea you were going through that. I’m so happy for you.” “The Young and the Restless” alum Hunter King added, “This angel deserves the world.”

Bennett and Vaughan’s relationship began in 2016 after they met on the entertainment news program “Celebrity Page,” where Vaughan interviewed him. Bennett told The Knot in 2021 that he instantly felt a spark.

“When I saw him setting up to do the interview, I thought he was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen,” Bennett recalled. “I ran to the bathroom to fix my hair, I came out of the bathroom and his producer Jade was standing in front of me, I asked her this exact question: ‘Am I about to meet my future husband?’ And she said, ‘I think so.’”

The couple got engaged in November 2020 and married at a resort in Mexico less than two years later.