Shonda Rhimes Jokes About Regé-Jean Page ‘Bridgerton’ Departure: ‘We Didn’t Even Kill Him!’
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The news is out. Regé-Jean Page will not be returning to Bridgerton for season 2. In an exclusive interview with Variety, the actor said that he knew the role would be a short period of time from the start.
“It’s a one-season arc. It’s going to have a beginning, middle, end—give us a year,” Page said. “[I thought] ‘That's interesting,’ because then it felt like a limited series. I get to come in, I get to contribute my bit and then the Bridgerton family rolls on.”
Since the news broke, multiple outlets have reported on Page’s true reason for leaving. Here’s what we know.
Page knew his arc would only last one season.
In that April 2 interview with Variety, Page explained that the Julia Quinn book series is an anthology that gives focus to a different sibling’s love story in each book. It made sense for Simon and Daphne’s love story to span a single season.
“One of the things that is different about this [romance] genre is that the audience knows the arc completes,” he said. “They come in knowing that, so you can tie people in emotional knots because they have that reassurance that we’re going to come out and we’re going to have the marriage and the baby.”
Page told Variety he’s looking forward to watching the show continue without him. “I have nothing but excitement for Bridgerton continuing to steam train off and conquer the globe,” he said. “But there is also value in completing these arcs and sticking the landing.”
Page was not expected to return for season 2.
On April 6, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Page was never supposed to appear in season 2. “Sources say the production reached out to Page’s camp in January or February with an offer to return—after he and the show broke out—even though plans for season 2 never included his character, Simon.”
The actor reportedly turned down the offer in order to focus on making movies. He just wrapped production on the Russo Brothers’ film The Gray Man and is about to start filming Dungeons and Dragons in Ireland.
Shonda Rhimes understands why he moved on from Bridgerton after season 1.
Page Six reported on April 12 that Page departed the series due to “creative differences” over Simon’s trajectory in new seasons, but neither Netflix, Rhimes, nor Page himself confirmed the report.
On April 13, Rhimes joked to Vanity Fair about the swift backlash to Page’s departure: “We didn’t even kill him!” In all seriousness, she noted the outcry was a credit to the actor’s work on the show. “[Regé-Jean] is a powerful, amazing actor and that meant we did our job—every season, our job is finding the right people and putting together this incredible, world-shifting romance,” she said.
In line with Page’s initial reason for departing, Rhimes added that there wouldn’t be as much for him to do in the new season. “I don’t know that I expected this much of an explosion, given that every book [in the Bridgerton series] is a different romance,” she explained. “What would be the ever-after of this combo? I mean, really: What would Regé-Jean do, you know what I mean? We gave them their happily ever after! And now we have this next couple coming.”
Page’s exit could have an impact on TV shows moving forward.
An April 2 report in the L.A. Times speculates that Page’s departure could have ramifications for the new world of television streaming. On broadcast TV, the network would often contract the talent to stay on as long as possible, entertainment attorney Nick Soltman told the newspaper. An attorney who works on entertainment contracts, Darrell Miller, told the Times that the Bridgerton situation was “extremely unique” and could “blow up the show.”
Page seemed intent on remaining with the show before season 1 premiered in December 2020.
Though Page might be content with his short time on Bridgerton, in the past, he spoke as if he was looking forward to continuing on with Simon.
“I’m not sure I believe in paradise,” he told TV Guide last December before the release of season 1. “I know that the romance genre generally does—part of the deal is that you get a happy ending. But as far as continuing to explore characters, I think that love is an evolving thing. It’s a living, breathing thing that needs tending, that needs looking after, that needs mending when it gets worn or torn. They get married very young. They still have a lot of growing to do. They have a lot to do, and I think it’ll always be fun to watch them do that together.”
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