Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

'Mean Girls' Star Opens Up About Toll Anti-Gay Bullying Took On His Health In Emotional Throwback Post

'Mean Girls' Star Opens Up About Toll Anti-Gay Bullying Took On His Health In Emotional Throwback Post
Paul Archuleta/Getty Images

Today, we're talking about Aaron Samuels.

You know.


The one whose hair looks sexy pushed back?

The one who made October 3rd an annual event?

This guy:

Giphy

Actually this is about the actor behind Aaron Samuels from Mean Girls, Jonathan Bennett.

Bennett is now an out gay man, happily engaged to fiancé Jaymes Vaughan—a former Amazing Race contestant and current host of Celebrity Page.

But Bennett wasn't always out, or happy, with his sexuality as he recalled in an emotional throwback post on Instagram.

Bennett's post, featuring clips of him playing J. Pierrepont Finch in Frank Loesser's musical How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, gave followers a glimpse into the life of teenage Bennett, who was struggling more than he let on.

He wrote:

"He constantly gets pushed into a locker by an a**hole named Justin and when he walks down the halls he gets called a f*gg*t."

@jonathandbennett/Instagram


@jonathandbennett/Instagram


@jonathandbennett/Instagram


@jonathandbennett/Instagram


@jonathandbennett/Instagram

Continued Bennett:

"He cries himself to sleep every night and develops stomach ulcers because of the stress and the homophobia in his small town."
"He thinks really dark thoughts and lives miserably in secret."
"But there is one place (and only one place)that gives him the tiniest bit of refuge....His high school theater."

@jonathandbennett/Instagram


@jonathandbennett/Instagram


@jonathandbennett/Instagram


@jonathandbennett/Instagram


@jonathandbennett/Instagram

Bennett said his high school theater made him feel safe, seen and shielded him from the homophobic slurs that otherwise came his way during school.

He emotionally recalled:

"He isn't ridiculed for being different, he's CELEBRATED. He's not a loser, they actually make him a STAR."
"They give him leading roles and he goes on to do dozens of shows for years in the safety and comfort of those 4 walls."
"He steps out on stage and for the first time in his life, he feels ALIVE. "
"He is home."

@jonathandbennett/Instagram


@jonathandbennett/Instagram


@jonathandbennett/Instagram


@jonathandbennett/Instagram


@jonathandbennett/Instagram

Bennett's post echoes the struggles that queer and transgender youth face every single day in their hometowns, and in their lives.

But he ends it with a ray of hope.

"To any one reading this that identifies with my story, know that you are not alone and that you are a star and you deserve to shine bright."
"And never stop singing and dancing, no matter how good you are because it's not about being perfect, it's about shining your light."
"And the world NEEDS your light."

Shine on, little Jonathans of the world.

Shine on.

More from News/lgbtq

Lynda Carter; Screenshot of Donald Trump
Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images; Newsmax

Lynda Carter Hilariously Channels Wonder Woman In Response To Trump's Claim About 'Undetectable' Planes

After President Donald Trump touted the U.S. military's "stealth" planes that he described as "undetectable," Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter responded to his claim with a funny quip sure to delight fans of her iconic character.

Earlier, Trump boasted about the military's capabilities in remarks to reporters in the Oval Office amid heightened concerns about the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict that is sending shockwaves throughout the Middle East and around the world:

Keep ReadingShow less
red flag with pole on seashore
Seoyeon Choi on Unsplash

People Break Down The 'Silent Red Flags' Folks Tend To Ignore In Relationships

A red flag has come to mean any warning sign in life, in addition to the literal red flags that are placed on beaches or industrial sites to warn people of danger.

People will respond to situations by saying, "That’s a red flag." But before that language evolved, they'd just call them "warning signs."

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz; Tucker Carlson
The Tucker Carlson Show

Tucker Carlson And Ted Cruz Get Into Shouting Match Over Iran In Bonkers Interview Clip

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz—a harsh Donald Trump critic-turned-MAGA minion—sat down with fired Fox News personality Tucker Carlson for the conservative influencer's self-produced online content,The Tucker Carlson Show, for the Tucker Carlson Network.

On Tuesday, Carlson shared a 1.5-minute clip revealing that things got contentious when the pair touched on the Trump administration's escalating tensions with Iran.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Barack Obama
Suzanne Plunkett-Pool/Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Resurfaced Trump Tweet Criticizing Obama Over Iran Comes Back To Bite Him

Amid tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump was criticized for hypocrisy after social media users resurfaced a 2013 tweet in which he accused former President Barack Obama of planning an attack on Iran because of his "inability to negotiate properly."

Trump has declined to clarify whether the U.S. is edging closer to launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, following a warning from Iran’s supreme leader against any attack and a rejection of Trump’s demand for surrender.

Keep ReadingShow less
​​Elon Musk
Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images

Anti-Elon Banner at Stanford

Stanford University graduates were given creative advice from above as an airplane flew over the graduation ceremony with a banner reading, “CONGRATS! DON’T WORK FOR ELON.”

The moment was captured last Sunday during the university’s 134th Commencement ceremony, where the Class of 2025 received their degrees at Stanford Stadium.

Keep ReadingShow less