After one the biggest years of his career, Hallmark star Jonathan Bennett is reaping the rewards of all his hard work. On January 22, 2025, he got word that he’s been nominated for three GLAAD Awards, which honor “those in the media who have shown exemplary achievements for fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of the LGBTQ community and the issues that affect our lives,” per the organization.
After starting the year making his Broadway debut in “Spamalot,” Bennett dove into another passion — spearheading several major Hallmark projects with significant LGBTQ+ representation, which he has helped the network navigate since 2020. In the fall, Bennett co-starred with Tyler Hynes and B.J. Britt in “The Groomsmen” trilogy, he co-created and hosted the network’s first unscripted competition series, “Finding Mr. Christmas,” and he reprised his role from 2023’s “Christmas on Cherry Lane” in the 2024 Hallmark+ sequel, “Season’s Greetings From Cherry Lane.”
Oddly enough, Bennett’s actually competing with himself, since “The Groomsmen: Second Chances” and “Season’s Greetings From Cherry Lane” are both nominated in GLAAD’s category for Outstanding Film — Streaming or TV. Meanwhile, “Finding Mr. Right” is nominated for Outstanding Reality Competition Program.
“I feel so lucky my job is to tell LGBGT+ stories not just to a queer audience but a broad audience,” Bennett wrote on Instagram, prompting many of his Hallmark colleagues to share and celebrate the news. “I feel so lucky that I have people at Hallmark that give me unwavering support to tell these stories. These stories are more important now than ever, and I just feel lucky that I get to be a part of telling them with the only team in Hollywood that are more than just co-workers, they are family.”
Jonathan Bennett Has Starred as Gay Characters in Hallmark Movies Since 2020
In his Instagram post, Bennett shared that “3 @glaad nominations is something I had to sit and wrap my brain around. I feel so lucky not just to be nominated, but to have been able to create 2 of the projects, and even more lucky to be able to work and create at place like @hallmarkchannel and tell these stories.”
Bennett skyrocketed to fame as heartthrob Aaron Samuels in the 2004 feature film “Mean Girls.” Though he appeared in earlier Hallmark movies like 2011’s “Elevator Girl” with Lacey Chabert and 2018’s “Christmas Made to Order” with Alexa PenaVega, per IMDb, 2020’s “The Christmas House” was a major turning point for Bennett and Hallmark.
After facing backlash for banning a commercial featuring a same-sex wedding in early 2020, the network reversed its decision and, following network CEO Bill Abbott’s departure, opted to begin diversifying its casts and storylines, including LGTBQ+ representation. That began with Hallmark including its first same sex marriage, between two female cast members, in August 2020’s “Wedding Every Weekend,” per USA Today.
That holiday season, Bennett and Brad Harder got to play Hallmark’s first gay couple in “The Christmas House,” and returned for a sequel the following year.
In October 2024, Bennett told Out, which dubbed him the “Gay King of Christmas,” that “it’s important that we have amazing LGBTQ+ representation on America’s most-watched cable network.”
He continued, “I’m very proud of what I’ve done at Hallmark by being the first same-sex kiss on the network, being the first gay-led Christmas rom-com, and having the first same-sex wedding on the network, all leading roles with lead storylines. That’s a huge deal, and I am very proud to have done that. It’s something I’ll always cherish.”
Hallmark Stars Celebrate Jonathan Bennett’s GLAAD Nominations
GettyBennett’s “family” of friends at Hallmark were thrilled to see his hard work had paid off with three 2025 GLAAD nominations.
Actress Erin Cahill shared his post in her Instagram Stories and wrote, “So awesome! Like @jonathandbennett said, these stories are more important now than ever 🙌❤️ Thank you @HallmarkChannel for telling such beautiful stories! 💕🙏”
On Bennett’s post, Paul Campbell wrote, “Atta boy! Congrats!!!!”
Rachel Boston expressed her excitement by writing, “YES!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!!”
Bennett’s “The Groomsmen” co-star Britt chimed in, “This is Amazing!!! Huge Congrats!!!🥳💚✨”
Heather Hemmens, also part of “The Groomsmen” cast, wrote, “And we are so lucky to witness your brilliance! Congrats love👏🥳💜”
Actor and director Ali Liebert added, “He’s an icon he’s a legend”
Bennett also heard from multiple “Finding Mr. Christmas” contestants, including winner Ezra Moreland, who shared in his Stories, “So proud and happy for you! Thank you for including me in this inspiring journey!”
Bennett’s husband of nearly three years, singer and TV host Jaymes Vaughan, shared his pride for Bennett in his Instagram Stories, and since his song “Home for the Holiday” was featured in “Seasons Greetings on Cherry Lane,” he quipped that he was “considering this a nomination for myself too.”
All of Bennett’s nominated projects can be streamed on Hallmark+. The 36th Annual GLAAD Awards will be held in Los Angeles on March 27.
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Hallmark Stars Celebrate Jonathan Bennett’s Huge Honor: ‘Atta Boy!’