Shonda Rhimes Speaks to Rumor That Regé-Jean Page Turned Down 'Bridgerton' Season 2

Shonda Rhimes, who produces Bridgerton for Netflix, has broken her silence on the exit of season one star Regé-Jean Page not returning for season two.

The Shondaland producer and TV exec also just announced the show will return to Netflix for season three and four, with season two starting production soon in the UK.

Click inside to see Shonda Rhimes’ reaction to all the stories about Rege-Jean Page…

There have been a lot of stories about Rege-Jean Page published, including that he turned down big money to return to the show.

Vanity Fair asked, “I’ve seen reports that you offered him a deal to return to do some cameos for season two and he turned it down. Is that correct?”

Shonda responded, “We made a one-season deal with him at the beginning of season one. That was the plan: come and do one season as the duke. Anything else that was extra and wasn’t really the plan when we started wasn’t the plan when we finished. [Rhimes later clarified that Page was invited to return for season two cameos, along with a few other season one characters outside the Bridgerton family.] So there’s a lot of fantastically interesting talk that’s been going on, mainly cause I think people are having a hard time letting go.”

She then spoke to the fan outrage that he would not return.

“I was really shocked because usually that happens when I’ve killed off somebody that’s been around for a while. Like, we didn’t kill him, he’s still alive! Shonda said. “[Regé-Jean] is a powerful, amazing actor and that meant we did our job—every season, our job is finding the right people and putting together this incredible, world-shifting romance.

“I don’t know that I expected this much of an explosion, given that every book [in the Bridgerton series] is a different romance. What would be the ever-after of this combo? I mean, really: what would Regé-Jean do, you know what I mean? We gave them their happily ever after! And now we have this next couple coming. And so yeah, I was like, ‘Whoa!’”

Here are some details that were reported about why he left.