Jonathan Bennett found his Hallmark love story with his husband Jaymes Vaughan.
The couple first met in October 2016 on a news program Celebrity page when interviewed by Vaughan Mean girls star. Bennett said Knot In 2021, when he first saw Vaughan, he thought he was “the most beautiful man” he had ever seen and immediately ran to the bathroom to fix his hair.
“I came out of the bathroom and his producer Jade was standing in front of me,” he recalled. “I asked her exactly this question: ‘Will I meet my future husband?’ And she said, ‘I think so.’ ”
Vaughan had a different version of the story, although he noted that he felt “electricity” with Bennett when they were photographed together. He explained: “I like how he says it was love at first sight for him. As for me, I was ready to do my interview, get it done and get on with my day.”
After dating for several years, they became engaged in November 2020 and married in March 2022 surrounded by family and friends in Mexico in what Bennett described to PEOPLE as their “dream wedding.”
He explained: “We kept having to stop and remind ourselves that we weren’t on a film set, but this was actually our real life. If you had told me this was one of my Hallmark movie sets, I would have believed it. It was so perfect.”
For Vaughan, the couple’s relationship and wedding was also a childhood dream come true. He talked with Out Passenger in January 2023 about his personal journey leading up to their wedding day, telling the tabloid, “Jonathan came into my life and changed it for the better.”
So who is Jonathan Bennett’s husband? Here’s everything you need to know about Jaymes Vaughan and his relationship with the actor.
He’s from Virginia
Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan take a selfie on the beach.
Jaymes Vaughan’s Instagram
Before moving to Nevada, Vaughan grew up in the South, originally from Chesterfield County, Virginia. As an adult, Vaughan settled in Las Vegas, talking Las Vegas Weekly in June 2021, that it is the place that feels most like home to him. He explained, “Everywhere you go, Vegas has a small-town feel. No matter what industry you’re in, people always have your back.”
“When Jonathan said yes, I said, ‘You realize that means you’re living in Vegas with me now, because Vegas is home,'” Vaughan said of the couple’s 2020 engagement. “He said, ‘Oh, my God, I love Vegas. You are kidding me?’ ”
Bennett and Vaughan previously split their time between Las Vegas and Palm Springs, California, and Bennett said Life in Palm Springs in November 2022 that he will return to Los Angeles to audition or work if necessary. The couple, meanwhile, moved out of their Palm Springs home in August 2023.
He is a reality TV star and actor
Jaymes Vaughan attends the 2019 American Music Awards on November 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Vaughan is no stranger to television. During his entertainment career, he appeared as a reality TV star, presenter and actor in front of the cameras.
While working as host of Chippendales in Las Vegas, Vaughan and his colleague James Davis appeared on Amazing race season 21 In a 2012 interview with The Associated Press, Vaughan revealed that he and Davis initially turned down the chance to be on the show, but changed their minds when Vaughan’s dad was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
To ensure that his parents were financially cared for during the health situation, Vaughan and Davis agreed to compete. Although they were aiming to win the $1 million grand prize, the duo ended up as runners-up. Most recently, Vaughan starred in an MTV reality show True friends of WeHo together with Brad Goreski in 2023.
After meeting Bennett at Celebrity page in 2016, Vaughan stepped down from his role as host after eight years in 2022. He continued to play characters in films Chocolate City: The Vegas Strip and Plus onethe latter with Bennett also as part of the cast.
They were the first gay couple to appear on the cover Knot
Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan take a selfie.
Jaymes Vaughan’s Instagram
Bennett and Vaughan made history when they became the first gay couple to appear on the cover Knot for the magazine’s summer 2021 edition. Looking back at the moment with Out Passenger in April 2021, the couple shared what it means to be featured, with Vaughan saying he’s “super proud of Knot and what they did about the problem.”
“I think it’s our job as this generation of LGBTQ+ people, to facilitate the next one and help them feel seen, normal and hopeful for their own futures,” Vaughan explained. “And open the door for others in our community to follow.”
He added: “When you see two people on the cover and then open it up and see the diversity and representation of so many groups of people, it’s really special to be a part of.”
They had a “Hallmark movie fantasy” wedding.
Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan on their wedding day 2022. Todd Danforth Photography
Bennett and Vaughan tied the knot on March 19, 2022. The couple tied the knot in Mexico in a ceremony surrounded by more than 100 family members and closest friends. Before the wedding, they said Knot in 2021 that they will be “breaking away from tradition a bit” with their wedding plans by having groomsmen and groomsmen to have one big wedding together instead.
After their wedding, Vaughan told PEOPLE that he married his “best friend” and opened up about the emotions of their special day.
“I knew we were going to be emotional, but I don’t think any of us realized how overwhelming the moment was going to be until we were in it,” he explained. “Seeing him cry just made me cry harder, and then our guests would cry harder, and then we’d all start laughing, and then we’d all cry again.”
Their first dance was to “Our Song,” a song Vaughan wrote for Bennett as part of their proposal. Bennett described the moment as “unforgettable” in a December 2023 interview with PEOPLE.
“We got to slow dance to a song and I heard my husband singing. Then there were fireworks and all our friends and family were around us,” Bennett said. “It was a moment that felt like a Hallmark movie I was in. It was like I was living out my actual Hallmark movie fantasy for the first time.”
Vaughan echoed her husband’s sentiments, adding: “There were moments at the wedding when I grabbed him and said, ‘Honey, this feels like I’m on one of your sets, but this is real.’ ”
They run a company and a podcast together
Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan embrace at the event.
Jaymes Vaughan’s Instagram
Bennett and Vaughan have different passions, but have joined forces on several projects over the years. They own the LGBTQ+ travel company OUTbound and host the iHeartRadio podcast Pricast together, which was nominated for a GLAAD Award.
The idea for OUTbound was born during the COVID-19 pandemic when the couple yearned to travel with other members of the LGBTQ+ community, Bennett said in a January 2023 interview. Out Passenger.
Together with their friend, Eric Hodgson, they founded the company to “create a queer safe space for people to travel and see the world, and do these amazing international things.”
As owners of a travel company, they also embrace their love of adventure. The couple shared impressions from their travels with their followers on social networks. In 2023, Vaughan documented their travels, including Italy, Austria, Holland, South Africa and Japan.
He is my husband
Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan pose for an outdoor photo.
Jaymes Vaughan’s Instagram
Vaughan is a passionate supporter of her husband’s career. On social media, the former TV host celebrated Bennett’s work and applauded his performances.
In December 2022, Vaughan posted several times about her husband’s Hallmark movie The Holiday Sitter, calling the role his “favorite thing he’s ever done” on Instagram.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of this man,” Vaughan wrote in another post. “I can only imagine how much a story like this that I watched with my family over Christmas would help rejuvenate me… but luckily the next generation has this, because of people like my baby.”
Most recently, in January 2023, Vaughan joined Bennett in New York for his Broadway debut in Spamalot. To mark the special moment, Vaughan paid heartfelt tribute to Bennett, praising his determination.
“Every time I think I can’t be more in awe of you, you surprise me with something else,” Vaughan wrote alongside their selfie at the cinema. “You’re on Broadway! So make the most of every moment because all your hard work over the years has gotten you here. You deserve it.”
They had a touching reaction to Hallmark’s first movie featuring a gay couple
Jaymes Vaughan and Jonathan Bennett attend the Hallmark Channel New York screening of ‘Christmas on Cherry Lane’ on December 7, 2023 in New York City.
Craig Barritt/Getty
Bennett and Vaughan were together when Bennett got the 2020 script christmas house, Hallmark’s first film to feature a gay couple prominently. Bennett recalled the story on PEOPLE Every day podcast in November 2022, explaining that he was overcome with emotion after reading the script.
“I got to the first scene where I’m in the movie with my husband and we’re talking about adoption and I said, ‘Wait a minute’ — and then I had to go back and watch it again because they didn’t tell me who the character was. They just said , ‘Here’s the role,'” Bennett said.
He added, “I remember really screaming at Jaymes, like, ‘Honey, there’s a gay character.’ And he ran up the stairs. I think I had tears in my eyes, because that was the moment I felt so seen.”
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Source: HIS Education