Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey Praises Gender-Swap Twist After Backlash

Jonathan Bailey isn’t thrilled by the Bridgerton fandom’s response to Francesca’s love interest being swapped from Michael to Michaela.

During the Thursday, August 22, episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Bailey, 36, was asked by host Josh Horowitz about seeing the reaction to certain onscreen changes.

“It is interesting to see their responses to shifts in the adaptation,” the actor, who plays Anthony Bridgerton on the show, noted. “Which, for me, sometimes is quite upsetting.”

Bailey specifically cited Masali Baduza‘s casting as the future love interest for Hannah Dodd‘s character, Francesca. “To see the way they have changed the gender of Michael to Michaela Sterling, which I think is brilliant and exactly what should be happening,” he said.

Season 3 of the hit Netflix series expanded on Francesca’s love story by having her meet her now-husband, John (Victor Alli), during her debut into society. By the end of the season, Francesca and John were making plans to move to his native Scotland with his cousin Michaela.

Michaela’s introduction came as a surprise to those who’ve read Julia Quinn’s books, in which John’s cousin is named Michael. Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell, however, revealed that changing Francesca’s love story was always part of the plan.

“The reveal of Michaela vs. Michael — from the books — is something that I’ve been pitching from season 1 of the show,” Brownell told Teen Vogue in June. “My approach to telling a queer story on Bridgerton has been to look to the books for thematic cues. I didn’t want to just insert a queer character for queer character’s sake.”

Brownell received permission from Quinn before making the narrative change. “The fact of the matter is, the fan base is not a monolith, and you’re never going to please every single side of the fan base,” she explained. “In, for example, deciding to tell a queer story with Francesca, I spoke with Julia Quinn, I got her blessing.”

Brownell added: “We talked about the fact that with almost any single book, there would be a side of the fandom that would be disheartened to see their favorite characters changed. I don’t think that there is any book that wouldn’t happen with, so for me, again, it came back to story, and it came back to character.”

Following the big reveal — and the debate it sparked among fans — Quinn issued her own statement in support of the twist.

“I’m confident now that when Francesca has her Bridgerton season, it will be the most emotional and heart-wrenching story of the show, just like When He Was Wicked has always been the true tear-jerker of the Bridgerton book series,” she wrote via Instagram in June. “Honestly, it may pack even more of a punch, since John is getting a lot more time on the screen than he ever did on the page, and I think it’s fair to say we’ve all fallen a little bit in love with him.”

Dodd, 29, has also praised the change ahead of her season. (The fourth installment of Bridgerton is set to center around Luke Thompson‘s character, Benedict, before he meets his eventual wife, Sophie.)

“I’m so proud to tell this story. It’s a show about people, and everyone deserves representation on screen,” Dodd told Harper’s Bazaar Australia last month. “It’s amazing that my character can bring happiness to those who usually suffer. That makes me so happy.”

Dodd was thrilled to see Bridgerton prioritizing inclusivity.

“It’s just so nice. I don’t think I can really get my head around it, but I know that characters do that for people,” she continued. “I know that Bridgerton is a comfort show for people, and going on those press tours and meeting people and seeing how much they love the show is so beautiful. It’s crazy to me that my character would make somebody [who’s used to suffering] happy.”

Bridgerton is currently streaming on Netflix.