Bridgerton star actor, Rene-Jean Page won’t be returning for Season 2 of the Netflix series

A post from the show’s social media account confirms the 31-year-old actor will not be returning for Season 2, which is currently filming in the United Kingdom.

Written in the voice of Lady Whistledown, the show’s anonymous gossip character played by Julie Andrews, the announcement says, “Dear 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 note however, acknowledged that the Duke will still always be a part of the Bridgerton family, adding that his wife Daphne, the Duchess of Hastings, played by Phoebe Dynevor, “will remain a devoted wife and sister, 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.”

Page responded to the note on Twitter, saying “Pleasure and a privilege! An honour to be a member of the family — on and off screen, cast, crew and incredible fans — the love is real and will just keep growing.

Bridgerton, which debuted last December, has been a massive success for Netflix. Created by Chris Van Dusen, produced by Shonda Rhimes and based on author Julia Quinn’s book series, season 1 of the period drama followed Dynevor’s Daphne Bridgerton as she concocts a mutually beneficial plan with Simon to pretend to be in a relationship.

The scheme was intended to help Daphne find love after struggling to do so following her debut in London high society, while Simon, determined not to marry, aimed for the initiative to help secure his bachelor lifestyle.

“Remember: the Duke is never gone,” Rhimes, 51, said on Instagram after news broke of Page’s exit. “He’s just waiting to be binge watched all over again. #ShondalandMenOnNetflixAreForever.”

Regé-Jean Page is a British actor. He is known for playing Chicken George in the 2016 miniseries Roots and from 2018 to 2019 was a regular cast member on the ABC legal drama For the People.

In 2020, Page starred in the Netflix period drama Bridgerton as Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings.