Rege-Jean Page Subtly Roasts Bridgerton for That Controversial Mistress Twist
Even after leaving Bridgerton, Regé-Jean Page still tunes in—keeping tabs on the show’s buzziest storylines and most divisive twists to cheer on friends whose work he loves.
Regé-Jean Page might be long gone from the Ton, but he still peeks over the hedges. And yes, he knows about the latest eyebrow-raisers.
Page is still watching... a little
Page, 38, told DuJour on Monday, April 6 that he checks in on Bridgerton every so often because he still has friends there and he loves the work they do. He says he is not fully current on every episode, but he is current enough to clock one of season 4's messier romantic choices.
"I’m not fully up to date, but I know enough not to be running around asking anyone to be my mistress any time soon."
That wink is aimed straight at the season 4 dust-up where Benedict (Luke Thompson) asked Sophie (Yerin Ha) to be with him in secret. Fans did not love the whole 'mistress' pitch, even with period-drama context attached.
Quick rewind: why Page left, and where Daphne went
Bridgerton launched in 2020, adapted from Julia Quinn's novels about a wealthy family finding love in 19th century London. Season 1 zeroed in on Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon, the Duke of Hastings (Page), and the audience basically imprinted on them. Which is why Netflix 's April 2021 announcement that Page would not return as the Duke was a shock, even though Daphne was slated to keep popping up.
Season 2 did feature multiple Daphne appearances. After that, Dynevor, 30, confirmed she was done with the show for now — and at the time it did not sound like it was her decision.
About that comeback question
Last month at Essence's Black Women in Hollywood event, red carpet host Leah Henry told Page that the internet really wants Simon back. Page played it cool, saying he is not online, and when pressed again — including a 'fans need you' pitch and one more try to pin down whether we will see him — he thanked her and moved on to the next interview. Translation: he is not biting.
The official word on recasting (and why you did not see Simon at that funeral)
"We are not interested in recasting the characters."
That is showrunner Jess Brownell to Variety in February. She added, in essence: they would love to see Page and Dynevor again someday, but only if there is an actual storyline worth their return — not a one-line drop-in just to prove the characters exist. Hence no blink-and-you-miss-it funeral cameo in season 4. In her view, the camera does not catch everything; Simon and Daphne still exist in the world of the show this season even if we do not see them. The door is open down the line, if the story earns it.
For now, Bridgerton is streaming on Netflix — with Page cheering from the sidelines and very much not asking anyone to be his mistress.