Hallmark fans rejoice – Mean Girls alum and veteran of the channel, Jonathan Bennett, will be returning to our festive screens again this year with a sleigh full of new feel-good films. The actor first made his Hallmark debut in Elevator Girl (2010) before landing his first leading man role in Romantically Speaking (2015). Since then, he’s become the definitive face of the channel’s cosy Christmas content – he now even hosts Finding Mr. Christmas, a reality-style contest where contestants compete for a Hallmark role.
But who is the leading man in Jonathan’s love life? The actor has been with his husband Jaymes Vaughan for over nine years, first meeting in 2016 and tying the knot in 2022 at a lavish beachside ceremony in Mexico. Today, we’re breaking down the couple’s real-life Hallmark story.
Jaymes (left) and his "WeHo" co-stars at the premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15, 2023
Jaymes is also a seasoned performer
Jaymes has been working in show business for decades, mostly as a host and entertainment journalist. He began his career working locally in his hometown of Chesterfield County, Virginia, before his big break as the first openly-gay host of the Chippendales show in Las Vegas.
He also entered season 21 of The Amazing Race with fellow Chippendales star James Davis in 2012, where the pair ended up coming in second place. Jaymes was also a cast member of The Real Friends of WeHo (2023), an MTV reality series that showcased six co-stars living together in West Hollywood, from dancer Todrick Hall to stylist Brad Goreski.
It was love at first sight for Jonathan
The pair met around Halloween
He may be the King of Christmas, but it was actually spooky season when Jonathan first met his future beau.
Jaymes had been hosting Celebrity Page since 2014, and Jonathan made an appearance on the show to promote Halloween Wars, the baking competition show he himself was hosting – and it was love at first sight for the star.
“When I saw him setting up to do the interview, I thought he was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen,” Jonathan told The Knot in 2021. “I ran to the bathroom to fix my hair” – do we think he wore it pushed back? – “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’.”
It was business as usual for Jaymes - until the couple snapped a pic together
It wasn’t insta-love for Jaymes
While Jonathan envisioned the couple’s fairytale beginning, it was business as usual for Jaymes, who was firmly concentrated on the interview.
“I love how he says it was love at first sight for him,” Jaymes told The Knot. “For me, I was just ready to do my interview, get it done and get on with the day.”
Thankfully, Jaymes began to feel the sparks when the pair snapped a photo for social media, explaining that there was an “electricity” between them. After exchanging numbers, Jonathan ended up calling Jaymes immediately after he got home – and they were reportedly on the phone for six hours.
Jaymes and Jonathan during the signing for Jonathan’s "The Burn Cookbook”
The pair got engaged in 2020
Jaymes popped the question in November 2020, sharing a heartwarming video of him proposing with his own original song that he wrote for Jonathan.
Jaymes orchestrated the elaborate proposal while Jonathan was filming The Christmas House, the first-ever LGBTQ+ Hallmark flick. “I took a melody that up until now had only been accompanied by chopsticks on my voice notes…I said, ‘Let’s make this magical for Jonathan,” Jaymes told People magazine. “Thank God he was filming in Canada for six weeks, otherwise I don’t know how I would have pulled this off.”
Jonathan shared some sweet snaps from the moment on his Instagram with the caption, “I said yes! And ugly cried like a crazy person #engaged”.
The pair got married on the shores of Mexico
They had a Hallmark-worthy wedding
The pair got married in 2022 at a beautiful beachside ceremony in Mexico, with their first dance being to “Our Song”, which Jaymes wrote for their proposal.
“We got to slow dance to the song and I got to hear my husband sing it. Then there were fireworks and all of our friends and family were around us,” Jonathan told People magazine. “It was like for the first time I was living my actual Hallmark movie fantasy”.
The pair shared this adorable video from their ceremony to celebrate their third wedding anniversary in 2025, with the caption, “3 years married to my best friend. One million more to go ❤️ 3.11.22.”
Jonathan and Jaymes collaborated for the 2023 flick "The Plus One"
They’ve shared the screen together
Both being seasoned performers, it was only a matter of time before the couple shared the screen together. Jonathan and Jaymes both co-starred in The Plus One (2023), a comedy about a bride whose destination wedding weekend unravels when her “Male of Honour” brings his vengeful ex as a date.
Jaymes is also an integral part of Jonathan’s Finding Mr. Christmas reality show – though not in the way you might think. Jonathan hilariously shared that Jaymes tests out the challenges given to contestants in the series.
“You know there’s episodes where we put the guys in a harness and a cable, and we sent them 30 feet into the air to do a photoshoot like a reindeer,” Jonathan explained. “And we’re like, ‘Who’s going to test to make sure it works?’ That’s James.”
Jaymes' music appeared in one of Jonathan's Hallmark flicks
Jaymes has a Christmas album
Does Jonathan have some competition for his King of Christmas status? Jaymes returned to his musical roots with a festive EP in 2024 titled “Feels Like Christmas”, and his track “Home for the Holiday” featured in Jonathan’s Hallmark movie Season’s Greetings from Cherry Lane (2024).
The star shared a snippet of the song on his Instagram with the caption, “Recording this Christmas album has been one of the most healing things I’ve done. Reconnecting with my first love, music, has healed parts of me that I didn’t even know could still be gotten to”.
Jaymes had a life-changing surgery in 2025
He’s battling a rare health condition
Jonathan revealed in 2025 that Jaymes has been suffering from a Schatzki ring, a narrowing of the lower esophagus that can make it difficult to eat. The star had the condition for over 20 years before learning what it was.
Jonathan shared the sweetest video of his husband having his first meal after his surgery to fix the condition, which shows Jaymes getting emotional at being able to eat pain-free.
“This is the first time in 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,” Jonathan captioned the post. “Talk to your doctor and ask questions, you never know how much it can help your life”.
Jaymes and Jonathan are living a real-life Hallmark tale
They’re the ultimate couple goals
From tender snaps to a hilarious viral video where Jaymes got ChatGPT to roast his husband, the pair have an iconic social media presence that showcases the joy of their relationship.
Speaking to the Human Rights Campaign, Jaymes said: “It was always crammed down my throat that if you’re gay you won’t find love…to then turn around and have that, I think that was my American dream and I feel like I’m living it”.