Hearstopper has had some fabulous guest stars over its two seasons, and the latest to join the ranks is Bridgerton heartthrob Jonathan Bailey, who will meet Nick and Charlie in the upcoming third installment.
Bailey’s casting has not been confirmed, however. Heartstopper fans came across an account on Instagram containing a number of photos that appeared related to the show and especially the comics in which it is based.
Is Jonathan Bailey in Heartstopper season 3?
For now, our answer has to officially be “unclear.” There have been no reports linking Bailey to the Netflix show, but it looks like fans seemingly ruined the surprise for the streamer and graphic novel author/series creator Alice Oseman.
Fans found an Instagram account created in November 2023 under the handle @jack__maddox, which has since been made private. Season 3 of Heartstopper was filmed around that time, the same fans noted. In it, there were four different photos of the handsome actor where he can be seen holding a book titled 10 Things I Hate About Plato, as well as a sign saying “Trans rights are Human rights.” The fourth photo is a more professional-looking headshot where Bailey looks remarkably like a character from a mini Heartstopper web-comic titled The Ethics of Infatuation Dynamics.
Who is Jack Maddox in the Heartstoper comics?
There isn’t actually a character named Jack Maddox in the Heartstopper comics, but there is one remarkably similar to Bailey’s appearance in the photos, which just so happens to share a last name with his alleged character.
Henry Maddox is a professor and academic in the mini-comic The Ethics of Infatuation Dynamics by Lauren James (creator Alice Oseman still provided the illustrations). Tao wants to buy Charlie tickets for a talk with Henry because Charlie is a “full-on stan” for him. Realizing he has nothing in common with his boyfriend’s celebrity crush (and that his celebrity crush, Zooey Deschanel, is a female version of Charlie), Nick becomes a bit insecure.
It isn’t until the two attend the talk by Henry together that Nick understands the appeal, and becomes enamored by the author, himself. In the comic, Henry’s book is titled Meditations on the Greek Complex, and he’s also a former rock star for a band called Spare Parts. Like Bailey in the pictures, Henry is “1940s Hollywood handsome,” as Nick describes him. His pompous hair is peppered with silver highlights and he’s sporting a five o’clock shadow and classic-style eyeglasses.
The reason why the producers of Heartstopper might have created an Instagram account for this character is because, in the comic, Charlie and Nick scroll through Henry’s social media as well, only they find photos of the author shirtless on a Greek beach instead. In the end, Nick comes around and becomes a huge fan of the man, gushing over his “all posh but gruff too” laugh.
It all sounds like dynamite material for a new addition to Heartstopper‘s collection of heartwarmingly fun episodes. The third season is expected to hit Netflix in late summer or early fall 2024.
