Jonathan Bennett (actor)

Jonathan David Bennett (born June 10, 1981)^[1] is an American actor and television host. He is known for his roles as Aaron Samuels in the 2004 comedy film Mean Girls,^[2] Bud McNulty in 2005's Cheaper by the Dozen 2, the title character in the 2009 direct-to-DVD comedy Van Wilder: Freshman Year, and his recurring role as Casey Gant in the mystery drama Veronica Mars. He is the host of the Food Network series Halloween Wars, and he previously hosted Cake Wars.

Bennett made his Broadway debut in Spamalot on January 23, 2024, playing Sir Robin, Guard 1 and Brother Maynard.^[3]

Early life

Bennett was born in Ohio,^[1] to David Bennett, a physician from Toledo, and Ruthanne Bennett (née Mason). He has two half-brothers, Brian and Brent, and one half-sister, Lisa.^[4][5]

Bennett attended Eagle Point Elementary School in Rossford, Ohio, and graduated from Rossford High School in 1999.^[6] Bennett attended Otterbein University.^[7][8]

Career

After moving to New York, he was cast on the ABC soap opera All My Children as JR Chandler from 2001 to 2002. Since then, he has appeared in various television dramas, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Smallville, and Veronica Mars.

Bennett co-starred in the 2004 comedy movie Mean Girls as Aaron Samuels, the love interest of star Lindsay Lohan's character.^[9] In 2005, he co-starred in the family comedy movie Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and the romantic comedy movie Lovewrecked. In 2007, Bennett appeared in the direct-to-video prequel TV series The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning, in which he played Bo Duke. In 2009, he starred as the title character in Van Wilder: Freshman Year,^[9] and appeared as Nick in the Hallmark original movie Elevator Girl.

On September 4, 2014, Bennett was announced as one of the celebrities competing on the 19th season of Dancing with the Stars. He was paired with professional dancer Allison Holker.^[9][10] Bennett and Holker were eliminated on Week 6 of the competition and finished in 9th place.^[11]

From 2015 to 2017, Bennett hosted the Food Network cooking competition show Cake Wars.^[12]

In 2016, Bennett played gay sports agent Lucas in two episodes of Hit the Floor.^[13]

In 2018, with celebrity chef Nikki Martin, he released a pop culture cookbook titled The Burn CookBook.^[14]

In 2019, he was featured in the filmed poem rendition Love Goes Never Alone, in support of the LGBT+ community, for the online theatre publication First Night Magazine, performing next to other film, television and theatre celebrities such as Stephen Fry, Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz, Debra Messing, Neil Gaiman, and Sharon Osbourne.^[15]

On January 13, 2019, it was announced that Bennett would be a houseguest on the second season of the reality competition show Celebrity Big Brother.^[16][17]

In 2021, Bennet played Jesus Christ - as an imaginary best friend to the eponymous Russian boy in Wes Hurley's Potato Dreams of America.^[18]

In 2022, Bennett starred in the first LGBTQ-led Hallmark Channel Christmas movie, The Holiday Sitter.^[19]

Bennett and husband Jaymes Vaughan appeared together on the July 8, 2022, wedding-themed episode of Trixie Motel entitled "Oh Honeymoon". They provide support and advice to the groom-to-be. In 2024, Bennett was announced as the host and the main judge of Hallmark's reality series Finding Mr. Christmas, which premiered on October 31, 2024.^[20]

On April 16, 2026, it was announced that Bennett had been cast as Joe Fitzpatrick in the ABC soap opera General Hospital.^[21][22][23]

Personal life

On November 30, 2020, representatives for Bennett confirmed he was engaged to The Amazing Race contestant and current Celebrity Page host Jaymes Vaughan, who proposed on the set for The Christmas House with an original song.^[24][25] In 2021, Bennett and Vaughan became the first gay couple to appear on the cover of the magazine The Knot.^[26] In March 2022, the couple got married at the Unico Riviera Maya Hotel in Mexico.^[27]

Bennett's mother Ruthanne died November 30, 2012, aged 67.^[4] His father, David, died on April 28, 2014, aged 73.^[5]

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

References

1. ^ "Jonathan Bennett". TV Guide. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015.
2. ^ Maltin, Leonard (August 5, 2008). Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide. Penguin. pp. 893. ISBN 978-0-452-28978-9. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
3. ^ "Spamalot Announcement". Archived January 4, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
4. ^ "Ruthanne Bennett Obituary". The Blade. December 2, 2012. Archived October 13, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 25, 2015. – via Legacy.com. She is survived by her loving son, Jonathan Bennett [with no other children listed]...
5. ^ "David Bennett Obituary". The Blade. April 30, 2014. Archived October 13, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 25, 2015. – via Legacy.com. Survived by his children, Brian Bennett, Lisa Horner, Brent Bennett and Jonathan Bennett.
6. ^ "Rossford drama club holds rally for grad on TV show". The Blade. September 15, 2014. Archived November 30, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
7. ^ Otterbein University Theatre Department (October 3, 2017). "October 3rd is known as "Mean Girls Day," but did you know that @JonathanBennett aka Aaron Samuels was a former Otterbein student? Grool!". No. 915308058217238528.
8. ^ "Jonathan Bennett, who attended Otterbein (pictured on the far left) and played Aaron Samuels in "Mean Girls," was announced as one of 13 celebrity dancers on Season 19 of Dancing with the Stars.". Otterbein University Alumni Facebook page. September 4, 2014.
9. ^ "Toledo Native Dances in Parents' Memory". The Blade. Archived June 22, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
10. ^ "'Dancing With The Stars' 2014: Season 19 Couples Ready to Tango". Good Morning America/Yahoo News. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
11. ^ Reiher, Andrea (October 20, 2014). "'Dancing With the Stars' Season 19 week 6 scores and elimination results". Zap2it. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
12. ^ "Cake Wars on Food Network Canada". Archived September 11, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
13. ^ Hinzmann, Dennis (January 13, 2016). "First Look at Adam Senn and Brent Antonello in Hit the Floor Season 3". Out. Archived September 5, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
14. ^ Fecteau, Jessica (October 3, 2018). "Mean Girls' Jonathan Bennett Wants to 'Make Fetch-uccine Alfredo Happen' with the Burn Cookbook". People. Archived March 26, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
15. ^ "Love Goes Never Alone". First Night Magazine. July 5, 2019. Archived July 17, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
16. ^ Porreca, Brian (January 13, 2019). "'Celebrity Big Brother' Cast Includes Anthony Scaramucci, Dina Lohan and Ryan Lochte". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived January 16, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
17. ^ Ross, Dalton (January 13, 2019). "Anthony Scaramucci among 12 new Celebrity Big Brother houseguests". Entertainment Weekly. Archived January 16, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
18. ^ "Film Review: Potato Dreams of America". Retrieved February 17, 2025.
19. ^ Sim, Bernardo (December 8, 2022). "Jonathan Bennett Talks Starring in Hallmark's 1st Gay-Led Holiday Film". Out Magazine. Archived December 9, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
20. ^ Baldwin, Kristen (October 3, 2024). "Meet the cast of Hallmark+ reality show Finding Mr. Christmas (exclusive)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived November 22, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
21. ^ Tinoco, Armando (April 16, 2026). "Jonathan Bennett Joins General Hospital as Joe Fitzpatrick". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
22. ^ Levinsky, Mara (April 16, 2026). "General Hospital comings and goings: Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett cast as Joe Fitzpatrick". Soap Opera Digest. Archived April 16, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
23. ^ Thompson, Avery (April 16, 2026). "GH recruits Hallmark fave Jonathan Bennett: Who's he playing?". TV Insider. Archived April 16, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
24. ^ Schnurr, Samantha (November 30, 2020). "Mean Girls' Jonathan Bennett Is Engaged to Boyfriend Jaymes Vaughan". E!. Archived November 30, 2020 at the Wayback Machine.
25. ^ VanHoose, Benjamin (November 30, 2020). "Mean Girls Star Jonathan Bennett Is Engaged to Boyfriend Jaymes Vaughan: 'Can't Wait to Get Married!'". People. Archived January 3, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
26. ^ "Jonathan Bennett, Fiance Jaymes Vaughan Become First Gay Couple To Cover 'The Knot'". ontopmag.com. Archived April 23, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
27. ^ Brody, Lanae & Knapp, JD (March 21, 2022). "Mean Girls' Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan Wed in Inclusive Ceremony: 'We're So Blessed'". People. Archived March 21, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
28. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (October 15, 2013). "'Mean Girls' Alum Set to Host MTV's 'Copycat' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived September 24, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
29. ^ Aiello, McKenna (November 30, 2018). "All the Celebrity Cameos in Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next Music Video". E! News. Archived December 1, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 30, 2018.

External links

• Jonathan Bennett at IMDb