Mean Girls' Jonathan Bennett Would Do A Sequel, But Explains Why He Doesn't Want Aaron Samuels To Be Gay

Aaron inviting Cady to the Halloween party in Mean Girls
(Image credit: Paramount)

Mean Girls is one of the best movies of the 2000s, and remains endlessly quotable to this day. The 2004 original (which is streaming with a Paramount+ subscription) has inspired a cinematic universe of sorts, thanks to the Broadway musical and the 2024 movie musical adaptation. Some fans are hoping for a long-awaited sequel, hopefully with the original cast. Jonathan Bennett would be down to return as Aaron Samuels, but explained why he wouldn't want his signature character to end up being gay.

Bennett married his husband in 2022, after coming out as gay in 2017 and becoming an advocate for LGBTQ+ representation in the media. In an interview with EW he was asked if he'd like to see Aaron end up as queer in a Mean Girls sequel. He actually doesn't that his character to be inspired by his real-life journey, saying:

I think Aaron would be straight because I wouldn't want to change the narrative of Aaron Samuels because Jonathan Bennett is gay. You would keep the narrative of Aaron Samuels because that's the story.

Points were made. Aaron has always been straight in Mean Girls, and ends up in the middle of a love triangle with both Regina George and Cady Heron. So if the Mean Girls cast got to reunite for a long-awaited sequel, he would want to do a role true to the character. And that means that Mr. Samuels would end up being heterosexual, despite Bennett's identity as a gay man.

Bennett and Mean Girls co-star Lacey Chabert recently reunited for Hallmark, where the two have done a ton of movies. And after the Plastics also reunited for a Walmart ad back in 2023, the discourse about a possible sequel has been getting louder. We'll just have to wait and see if Tina Fey actually has interest in writing another installment for the beloved franchise.

Paramount+: from $7.99 a month/$59.99 a year

Paramount+: from $7.99 a month/$59.99 a year
Both Mean Girls movies are streaming on Paramount+. Between the Essential plan running $7.99 a month and the ad-free Premium option at $12.99 a month, there's plenty to choose from with Paramount+.

Jonathan Bennett broke the internet when he came out of the closet, thanks to being countless people's crush as a result of his Mean Girls performance. We've been able to watch him find love and happiness in the years that followed, and funny enough all three of Mean Girls' leading men ended up being LGBTQ+, with Bennet joined by Daniel Franzese and Rajiv Surendra aka Damian and Kevin Gnapoor.

Jonathan Bennett in The Christmas House

(Image credit: Hallmark)

Despite all this chatter, there's been no indication that Tina Fey is cooking up a sequel to Mean Girls. But it's an exciting concept, as generations of fans would like to catch up with the former students of North Shore High School. Has Regina become a "cool mom" like Mrs. George? Are Cady and Aaron still together? I need answers!

As previously mentioned, both Mean Girls movies are currently streaming on Paramount+. As for Jonathan Bennett, he's staying busy with more Hallmark projects, including A Keller Christmas Vacation.

TOPICS
Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more. 

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.