More than two decades after Jonathan Bennett became moviegoers’ dream boyfriend, Aaron Samuels, in the beloved 2004 comedy Mean Girls, the actor continues to win the hearts of viewers. He’s competed on Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing With the Stars, hosted the Food Network series Cake Wars and Halloween Wars, and starred in an array of highly rated Hallmark projects, including The Groomsmen trilogy.
This month, you can see Bennett in two Hallmark+ features: the second season of the competition series Finding Mr. Christmas, with new episodes dropping Thursdays, and the holiday heart-warmer A Keller Christmas Vacation, out Nov. 9. You might just catch him celebrating the premiere at Billy Reed’s in Palm Springs — after all, Bennett splits the year between Las Vegas and Palm Springs with his husband, James Vaughn. We caught up with Bennett to learn more about his new projects and what he enjoys most about desert life.
What’s Finding Mr. Christmas all about?
It’s 10 hot guys competing against each other, and the winner gets the lead role in a Hallmark Christmas movie. I call it “the little reality show that could.” It’s a simple show, but it has everything you want in the holidays and a reality competition: humor, decorations, and good-looking guys in Christmas sweaters competing against each other in acting and physical challenges. It’s just got the formula for everything you want when it comes to feel-good Christmas TV.
Meanwhile, A Keller Christmas Vacation takes a little inspiration from your own life. What’s the plot?
It’s loosely based on my life with my family, because my dad would [take us] on these houseboat trips in Tennessee every summer, which he called “forced family fun.” I thought it was a good concept for a Christmas movie. It co-stars Brandon Routh and Eden Sher as my siblings. We go on a Christmas cruise in Europe, and it forces us to hang out. With three siblings that don’t really get along, you get a bunch of comedy and growth and heart.
What do you love most about desert life?
When we first came to Palm Springs during the pandemic, we realized how much this town was our vibe. When you go out to the restaurants or you go out on the strip, you see so many queer people and gay couples. I told my husband that this must be what it feels like to be a straight couple in every other town in America, where you just feel like the majority, and you feel like you are completely safe and belong here. It was that first time we came here together. I can tell you exactly where we were — sitting at Chicken Ranch. Then we went to Just Fabulous and shopped, and then we sat in that backyard behind Chicken Ranch and had Koffi. We were looking at the mountains and looked at each other and said, “This is where we belong.”
Where is your favorite place to dine with friends?
Billy Reed’s, 100 percent — there’s no place like it. The menu has every food you can imagine, and the décor is frozen in time. I think it’s chic, and I love the desserts. It’s a place that you can’t find anywhere else.
Best place to see live music?
Honestly, my favorite place in the desert for live music is the main stage during Greater Palm Springs Pride. It’s so festive and fun. It’s not just hot headliners from Hollywood — you have people like Steven Michael’s Dance Machine, which is my favorite thing to watch during Pride. It’s local people living their best lives, and that’s literally the definition of community.
Best place to celebrate the holidays in the desert?
Melvyn’s is where we usually have our Christmas Eve dinner. It’s just so iconic, so old-school, and I have a tradition of eating Frank Sinatra’s chicken potpie. With the live music element in the lounge, it’s just the perfect place to celebrate the holidays.
What do you get recognized for most these days?
The more I do Hallmark movies, especially gay Hallmark movies, the more I get recognized in Palm Springs for those versus Mean Girls. I love that because that means they’re watching movies where they feel seen, and they get to see themselves represented — that makes me so happy.
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