Regé-Jean Page, seen here with co-star Phoebe Dynevor, won’t appear in the next season of Bridgerton.
Netflix
Lady Whistledown has confirmed it: Regé-Jean Page, who plays Simon, the Duke of Hastings, on Netflix hit Bridgerton, won’t appear in the show’s second season. A note posted by Netflix takes the form of one of Lady Whistledown’s gossip sheets to deliver the news.
“Dearest readers,” it says. “While all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s quest to find a Viscountess, we bid adieu to Regé-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings. We’ll miss Simon’s presence on screen, but he will always be a part of the Bridgerton family.”
The character of Daphne, played by Phoebe Dynevor, will stick around to help her brother in his romantic quest, the note says.
Fans of the hunky duke may be sad, but Page says one season was always his plan, and even his early conversations with the show’s producers always focused on a one-season arc.
“[I thought] ‘That’s interesting,’ because then it felt like a limited series,” Page told Variety. “I get to come in, I get to contribute my bit and then the Bridgerton family rolls on.”
Roll on they do: Bridgerton is based on a book series by Julia Quinn. The first books each focus on one of the eight children of the late Viscount Bridgerton — in alphabetical order no less — Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth.
Bridgerton producer Shonda Rhimes posted a farewell to the character, writing, “Remember: The Duke is never gone. He’s just waiting to be binge-watched all over again.”
Bridgerton premiered on Netflix on Dec. 25, 2020, and has been renewed for a second season, but there’s no release date yet. It’s looking like it’ll be 2022 before the show returns.