Regé-Jean Page Exits ‘Bridgerton’ After Just One Season

We will miss you, your Grace!

On Friday, Netflix and Shondaland announced that Regé-Jean Page will not be in the second season of Bridgerton. Page played Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings, the main love interest of Phoebe Dynevor‘s Daphne Bridgerton. The news was revealed in a message from the show’s Lady Whistledown.

“Dearest readers, 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,” the message said. We’ll miss Simon’s presence onscreen but he will always be a part of the Bridgerton family.”

“Daphne will remain a devoted wife and sisters, helping her brother navigate the upcoming social season and what it has to offer—more intrigue and romance than my readers may be able to bear. Yours truly, Lady Whistledown.”

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Page told Variety that his departure was always the plan. “It’s a one-season arc. It’s going to have a beginning, middle, end—give us a year,” he said. “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.”

While Page will now be able to be apart of other projects with his departure from the show, he is still thankful for the part he played on the hit series. “The ride of a life time,” he wrote in an Instagram post.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to be your Duke. Joining this family—not just on screen but off screen too. Our incredibly creative and generous cast, crew, outstanding fans—it’s all been beyond anything I could have imagined. The love is real and will just keep growing,” he continued.

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Bridgerton quickly became a hit after its Christmas Day release. The series, based on the books by Julia Quinn, was renewed for a second season earlier this year. The season will focus on Daphne’s older brother Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) finding love with Sex Education’s Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma. Production is expected to begin this spring.