Simone Ashley's 'Bridgerton' Future Questioned After She's Not on Cast List

Bridgerton is bringing back Anthony for season 4 — but it remains unclear whether his wife, Kate, is returning too.

Netflix announced on Monday, September 17, which cast members are confirmed to be back for season 4 as production started. While Jonathan Bailey was listed as returning to play Anthony, actress Simone Ashley was notably missing. Us Weekly has reached out to Netflix for comment as fans continue to question Ashley’s future on the show.

The surprising news comes after both Anthony and Kate were largely missing from season 3. Season 2, which was released in 2022, centered around Anthony’s search for a wife. His love life got a bit more complicated than he expected, however, when he fell in love with Kate while courting her sister, Edwina (Charithra Chandran).

After getting together in the final minutes of their season, viewers were hoping Anthony and Kate would remain at the forefront as the show explored their life as newlyweds. Season 3 premiered earlier this year, but Anthony and Kate shared a handful of scenes before disappearing on a second honeymoon. They returned toward the end of the season to announce Kate’s pregnancy and their decision to take a trip to India.

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“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,” showrunner Jess Brownell told Teen Vogue in June. “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.”

Brownell clarified that the writers’ room wants Bailey and Ashley back “as much” as they are able to, adding, “They give so much, even with just tiny little looks and gestures. They’re a magic pairing, absolutely.”

While reflecting on the show, Brownell explained the vision they had for Kate and Anthony.

“I think after all they went through in their season, obviously, the focus for us this season was just showing them in a more loving place. But we also wanted to underscore how they’re still the Kate and Anthony you know,” she continued. “They still banter with each other and get annoyed at each other. We wanted them to show up in that way … They’re in a much wiser place, both of them, in their relationship to relationships.”

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Brownell also pointed out that Kate and Anthony weren’t the only ones on the go. Francesca (Hannah Dodd) married John (Victor Alli), which meant they were moving to his property in Scotland. At the last second, Francesca’s sister Eloise (Claudia Jessie) asked to go with him.

“For all of the stories that are left to tell, at least of the elder siblings other than Gregory and Hyacinth, I think people who know their books know that all three of their storylines do take us a little bit outside of the ton,” she concluded. “That was one reason for moving Colin and Penelope up this season, was to, in the first three seasons, stay in our world that we already know, and then books three, five and six really do open up the world in a way that we’re excited about. But I can’t say just yet how that will play out.”

Bridgerton is currently streaming on Netflix.