Something happened at the London premiere of Jurassic World Rebirth that caused ripples online. Scarlett Johansson, the star of the film, walked over to her co-star Jonathan Bailey on the red carpet and planted a smooch on his lips.
It’s worth disclaiming off the bat that Johansson is married to Saturday Night Live comedian Colin Jost, and that Bailey is openly gay. In theory, those disclaimers, and the fact the kiss looked consensual between two close friends and colleagues, should be enough to put the discourse to bed. But, of course, that’s not how the digital world works, is it?
Photos, videos and memes of Johansson in her pink Vivienne Westwood dress kissing a blazer and baseball cap-wearing Bailey have gone viral. The story has also been reported by various news outlets around the world.
Page Six, for one, shared the images on X with the caption: ‘Colin Jost, you seem to have some competition.’ While Vulture covered the story with the title, ‘Jonathan Bailey is allowed to kiss your wife.’ The Today Show’s headline reads, ‘Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey kiss on the red carpet and fans approve.’
Speaking of fans, one X user wrote: ‘Scarlett Johansson just doing what you supposed to do when you have your crush close to you,’ and attached a junket video of the actress gushing about her co-star. In the clip, Johansson is speaking to BBC Radio 1 and said, ‘I will say my current celebrity crush because I am working with him and he’s too cute for words and it’s Jonathan Bailey. I absolutely love him. I have such a crush on him.’ As such another X user simply posited, ‘You know it’s #PrideMonth when a hot straight girl kisses a hot gay man.’ While a third wrote, 'This new collaboration and friendship warms my heart.'
However, the picture was not as positive over on Instagram. Under a clip of the kiss, one person commented: 'So its okay for a married woman to kiss a gay man on the lips? You have some real weird customs in the States not gonna lie.' Another wrote, 'Wait, I'm so confused.' A third comment reads, 'Just because you played in a movie together doesn't give you the right to just kiss each other when you see each other at celebrity events.'
If you watch the full clip, which is less than 30 seconds long, Johansson claps excitedly as she spots Bailey on the carpet before walking over and giving him a quick kiss and a longer hug. They both look extremely happy to see each other. The video proves how misleading a still image can be without context.
That’s not to say public kisses should always be taken at face value or that we should freely give the benefit of the doubt. There have been countless uncomfortable moments over the years where the public and media have been privy to a seemingly non-consensual kiss. Earlier this year, Spain’s former football federation boss, Luis Rubiales, was found guilty of sexual assault for kissing the player Jenni Hermoso without consent when Spain won the 2023 Women’s World Cup. He was ordered to pay a fine of €10,800 (£8,942).
Johansson has even been on the receiving end of an awkward red carpet kiss herself. In 2015, John Travolta planted a peck on Johansson’s cheek at the Oscars and in the viral picture she looks somewhat disengaged. However, kisses really do come on a case by case basis. She later released a statement to say the viral photo was taken out of context. ‘There is nothing strange, creepy or inappropriate about John Travolta,’ she told the Associated Press. ‘The image that is circulating is an unfortunate still-frame from a live-action encounter that was very sweet and totally welcome.’
She continued, ‘That still photo does not reflect what preceded and followed if you see the moment live. Yet another way we are misguided, misinformed and sensationalised by the 24-hour news cycle. I haven’t seen John in some years, and it is always a pleasure to be greeted by him.’
The reality is any time famous co-stars or contemporaries share a kiss in public – especially if they are not dating – it is bound to spark a conversation. In 2021, Jessica Chastain was forced to respond to her viral PDA moment with her Scenes From a Marriage co-star Oscar Isaac at the Venice Film Festival. While posing for photos together on the red carpet, Isaac grabbed Chastain’s arm and kissed her inner bicep. It was met with a similar degree of social media chatter as Johansson and Bailey's moment – particularly because Isaac and Chastain are both married.
Chastain responded by tweeting a photo of The Addams Family’s Gomez Addams kissing Morticia Addams’ arm, captioning it with a devil emoji and ‘Sept 12th’ which was the release date of their new show. It also transpired that the pair had been friends for more than 20 years, having first met while studying at Juilliard together. In other words, there was nothing untoward about the bicep kiss, even if it isn’t most co-stars' go-to pose.
At Cannes this year, Pedro Pascal and Alexander Skarsgard shared their own ‘viral kiss’ (on the cheek) after Skarsgard’s film Pillion received a seven-minute standing ovation. This was equally harmless and sweet, not least because Skarsgard recently became a father with his partner Tuva Novotny and the pair are good friends. Nevertheless, their platonic affection became a talking point.
Sometimes it doesn’t even have to be a kiss, either. Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, who co-starred in the romcom Anyone But You, are constantly bombarded with questions about the state of their relationship. Despite confirming that they are just friends, their tactile friendship and comfortability gushing about each other is always a source of confusion for fans on social media. It's been almost two years since their film came out and they are still 'shipped' on a weekly basis.
In the post #MeToo era, our collective up-tightness around platonic PDA makes sense. If we’re going to default to any position, questioning kisses between co-stars or friends who aren’t romantically involved seems like a sensible one. However, we mustn’t let it warp our sense of what healthy, friendly, reciprocated affection looks like in the process. Not every kiss is suspicious. And if those involved don't mind, then we shouldn't either.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across entertainment, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things pop culture for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow with equal respect).