Regé-Jean Page‘s absence as Simon Basset was felt on Bridgerton — but it wasn’t mentioned.
Page’s disappearance as the Duke of Hastings seemed to be treated as if he wasn’t meant to appear in the sophomore season to begin with. Instead, his on screen love interest, Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor), filled the void and offered a glimpse at the couple’s son, Augie.
The actor shocked Bridgerton fans when he announced that he wouldn’t be returning for future story lines, but then confirmed he never intended to do season 2.
“It’s a one-season arc. It’s going to have a beginning, middle, end – give us a year,” he told Variety in April 2021, referring to the conversations he had with the producers when the show began. “One of the things that is different about this [romance] genre is that the audience knows the arc completes. 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.”
After returning for season 2, Dynevor dropped a bombshell in January 2023, telling Screen Rant, “Sadly not in season 3. Potentially in the future. But season 3, I’m just excited to watch as a viewer.” Dynevor did not give a reason why Daphne wasn’t part of the next chapter and neither did Bridgerton’s creative team. As a result, Page’s character wasn’t referenced either.
Scroll on for all the ways Bridgerton mentioned the Duke of Hastings in his absence:
