Why is Rege-Jean Page leaving Bridgerton? Here's what fans need to know so far

Scores of fans were left heartbroken after the makers of Netflix's much-loved show Bridgerton announced that actor Rege-Jean Page, who played the role of Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings, will not be seen in the upcoming second season of the romantic drama. This sudden exit of the actor has left many wondering why is Rege-Jean Page leaving Bridgerton. While makers have not yet made an official announcement, Rege spoke to Variety and opened up about his exit.

Why is Rege-Jean Page leaving Bridgerton?

Netizens rushed to share their thoughts about Duke leaving Bridgerton. A user tweeted that the original Book 2 has a very little storyline of Duke and Daphne hence he is probably not there in the upcoming season of the show. Whereas, if rumour mills are to believed, Shonda Rhimes wanted him in the show but he refused to continue. However, the former paid a tribute to him by sharing his picture and wrote, "Remember: the Duke is never gone. He’s just waiting to be binge-watched all over again." If another rumour is to be believed, Rege-Jean Page had only signed a one-season deal with the producers.

In an interview with Variety, Page told the magazine that the original plan was always for him to only participate in Season 1. He said, “It’s a one-season arc. It’s going to have a beginning, middle, end-- give us a year.” He continued, “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.” He further added, “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.” Twitterati seems to be shattered with Rege-Jean not returning to Bridgerton.

A user wrote, "I really do not understand this move. He is in book 2 for sure. Very, very disappointing." Whereas another sad fan wrote, "Each book is about a different Bridgerton sibling. Book 2 is about Anthony & who he falls in love with. Each season will focus on a different sibling, as the books did. As much as we ALL want to see more of Regé in Bridgerton, he's now booked on a lot of new projects to look for."