Dearest gentle reader, concerns have been swirling around the esteemed ton about whether or not Simone Ashley, who plays Viscountess Kate Bridgerton, will be returning for Bridgerton Season 4. The feeling arose after Netflix released the list of cast members for the season, and Ashley’s name was noticeably absent.
Before going any further, it’s worth noting that the Tudum article precedes the list with a caveat that this group exists as is “so far.” It’s more than likely that new and returning cast members will be added to this list between now and when Bridgerton Season 4 premieres on Netflix. But will Simone Ashley be one of those names?
Simone Ashley joined the series for its second season, bringing Kate Sharma to life alongside an enemies-to-lovers romance with first-born Anthony Bridgerton. Bridgerton Season 2 premiered in March 2022, and Ashley reprised her role in three episodes of Bridgerton Season 3. Bridgerton Season 3, Episode 7, “Joining of Hands,” Kate and Anthony decide to take a trip to India before their baby is born so that their child can learn about their heritage and be around the Sharma family.
While exciting for the characters, that extensive voyage raised questions about whether Kate and Anthony had been written out of the show, with neither Ashley nor Jonathan Bailey returning for future seasons. That worry isn’t unprecedented because Regé-Jean Page, who played Season 1’s male lead Simon Basset, exited the series after the first season. Meanwhile, Phoebe Dynevor, who played Season 1’s female lead, Daphne Bridgerton, returned as the Duchess of Hastings in a supporting role for five episodes of Season 2. The first of which is Bridgerton Season 2, Episode 3, “Bee in Your Bonnet.”
However, Dynevor told Variety in January 2023 that she would not return for Bridgerton Season 3. Dynevor shared, “Well, I did my two seasons…I’ve done what I wanted to do with that character and she had a great arc. If they ask me back in the future, who knows?” So, the chance of another appearance for Dynevor sounds more likely than one from Page. Will Bridgerton repeat history with Bailey and Ashley? All signs – for now – say not.
At the Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 premiere in London in June 2024, Ashley assured reporters that “Kate Sharma is here to stay.” The actress reiterated her intentions to remain a part of Bridgerton while attending the 2024 Monte Carlo TV Festival, where Ashley received the International Golden Nymph for Most Promising Talent award.
“Both Johnny and I, we adore our characters, Kate and Anthony, so much and [love] their relationship and what they mean for the show,” Ashley said, according to People. “I think we’ll do all we can with our schedules to make it work so that we can [return], hopefully,” Ashley added.
That understandable condition is a common refrain among conversations about Ashley and Bailey’s return. Bridgerton is Simone Ashley’s breakout role in 2022. The actress will star in the Apple Original Films F1 in 2025 and lead Prime Video’s rom-com Picture This.
For Teen Vogue in June 2024, showrunner Jess Brownell discussed scheduling and Kanthony’s trip to India: “I think the strength of sending them off to India for a little while is that it does leave the door open for them to come back, schedules allowing.”
“I think, understandably, when any of our lead actors have given over their lives for their season, in future seasons, we want to be supportive of the fact that they do have other projects coming in, and to ask actors to come back just to be in the background is not really fair to them. We love Jonny and Simone, and we’ll have them back as much as we are able to,” Brownell continued.
Ashley told Premiere in June 2024 that she’s had “secret” discussions with Brownell about what’s next for Kate. The actress shared that the two women “discuss a lot together about what’s next for” the character. Ultimately, Ashley said she would “absolutely” want to come back for Bridgerton Season 4, which recently began production.
When asked whether there is more to explore with Kate and Anthony, Ashley said, “Yes! Absolutely! Lots more. I even think Kate and Anthony deserve their own spin-off, a spin-off of Bridgerton. I don’t know if it would work, but I would love it. This world is so vast, and these characters are so deep that there is a lot to explore about them. I don’t want to give too much away, but I think there could be multiple seasons of Kate and Anthony to come!”
Most recently, in August 2024, Jonathan Bailey appeared on Good Morning America and assured everyone he would reprise his role as the Viscount. “Obviously being the older brother, I’m going to be there to support the youngsters as we go,” Bailey said.
“I have a couple of weeks etched out in my schedule for returning. I look forward to reading the scripts,” Bailey continued. It should be noted that Netflix included Jonathan Bailey on its list of returning actors.
In all fairness, Ashley isn’t the only name missing from this list. Polly Walker and Lorraine Ashbourne are set to return as Portia Featherington and Mrs. Varley, respectively, but Bessie Carter and Harriet Cains are not listed as reprising their roles as Prudence and Philippa. Penelope Bridgerton (née Featherington) reveals herself as Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton Season 3, Episode 8, “Into the Light,” with Julie Andrews’s voice fading into Nicola Coughlan’s. However, Andrews is set to return as the famed writer.
Plus, Jessica Madsen’s Cressida Cowper is missing, which makes more sense after the character’s Season 3 arc and move to Wales.
Nevertheless, Simone Ashley’s absence from the list as it is – and it’s still very much subject to change – stands out because she plays a beloved former female lead of this romance series. Considering the pattern of former leads exiting the series, it’s more than understandable that fans worry the same will happen again.
Luckily, Ashley and Brownell (and Bailey) have made countless comments over many months about their intention for Kate (and Anthony) to remain a part of Bridgerton. The actress has been a staunch supporter of the series and the leads that succeed her. Plus, Ashley’s character is not only an integral part of the titular family but one of the world it builds. It’s more than likely only a matter of time before Netflix and Shondaland share that Simone Ashley will reprise her role as Viscountess Bridgerton. After all, it’s hard to imagine Jonathan Bailey’s Anthony Bridferton without Simone Ashley’s Kate.
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Do you hope that Simone Ashley returns to Bridgerton? Let us know in the comments below!
Bridgerton is streaming on Netflix now.
Yes, we hope, hope, hope she returns! Bridgerton without Simone Ashley is no Bridgerton.
The India trip was always clear it was used as a plot device, admitted by the showrunner, to explain Kate and Anthony’s absence. It’s jarring that now only Anthony will be back, especially when everyone knows that Jonathan Bailey is very, very busy. That the Bridgerton production was able to find space for Anthony and not Kate, especially when Simone Ashley has expressed her desire to be back, is disappointing, but not surprising.
I don’t think they’ll call Simone Ashley back and that “so far” in the Netflix article is purely related to new characters. I don’t know why people would think otherwise. This is just part of their long history of treating Simone Ashley and her character as disposable.
We NEED Someone and Jonathan back.. Bridgerton would not be the same without them. Bring them back please.
Simone has said repeatedly that she wants to come back and even confirmed Kate will be back for S4 as recently as June 2024. She was even talking to Jess Brownell about storylines and still they either didn’t bother to write her a storyline or didn’t finish negotiating her contract. Either way, it’s very telling that every white Bridgerton family member is confirmed and they can’t even be bothered confirming the only dark-skinned Bridgerton even though she is Lady Bridgerton!