Let’s not forget the hottest thing Manny Jacinto ever did

Manny Jacinto has been in the conversation a lot recently. We will never forget his arms in The Acolyte. But many are going back through his career to remember some other things he was known for, and one particular moment is coming back up online.

Jacinto became everyone’s favorite himbo after his role on The Good Place as Jason Mendoza. The Floridian who had to pretend he was a monk was our very sweet boy who couldn’t let the Jaguars lose even if it meant getting into the Good Place. But Jacinto himself was catapulted into internet boyfriend-dom when he stood next to everyone’s favorite celebrity activist at a government protest.

Jane Fonda is known for her activism (as well as her acting), and many celebrities have joined her in pushing back against things the government was doing. She has one of the best mugshots of all time. Trust me! Look it up! But Jacinto joined her, in the rain and in some wonderful glasses, to fight against the inaction the government was taking on climate change back in 2019. And if you were on the internet at the time, you definitely remember this. It’s all we could talk about at the time!

The protest took place in November of that year, and he was there with Fonda as well as Amber Valletta, Piper Perabo, and Diane Lane. He did not get arrested like those three women did later in the day, but he was there at the podium for the Fire Drill Friday. (Fonda had previously been arrested but didn’t get arrested this day.)

It was a moment in our collective online-ness that many of us think back to. If you were a fan of The Good Place, you probably were already invested in what Jason Mendoza was up to, but Jacinto standing in his cute glasses and protesting for change? Nothing could be hotter.

It was THE moment

Imagine, if you will, a bunch of people online watching this unfold and losing all sense of anything outside of Jacinto and his red scarf and glasses. That is what it felt like that cold November in 2019. We were free from thinking about a pandemic and all we could focus on was how hot this made him.

Now that Jacinto is the new It Boy of social media (good, he deserves it), many are remembering this moment. In the words of Aslan from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: “Do not cite the Deep Magic to me, Witch. I was there when it was written.”

It is sweet that this is the moment people are going back to. He was in Top Gun: Maverick, and yet this is what the internet is ready to cheer for. Sometimes, it feels great being on social media.

So on this, Manny Jacinto’s birthday, let us remember when he stood with Jane Fonda and everyone cheered for him. Those were the days, and now he’s the internet’s new boyfriend. What a time to be a Manny Jacinto fan!