Shonda Rhimes Confirms What We All Suspected About Rege-Jean Page On Bridgerton

Regé-Jean Page captured the hearts of viewers everywhere as Simon Basset aka the Duke of Hastings in Netflix's "Bridgerton." The series, which quickly became one of Netflix's most-watched originals (via Business Insider), follows the romantic exploits of the elite Bridgerton family set in Regency-era London. With his incredibly good looks, heart-wrenching backstory, and the iconic "I burn for you" line, it's no surprise Page's character became a huge fan favorite. But what definitely shocked fans was the actor's decision to leave the show after just one season.

Although Regé-Jean Page had several TV acting credits under his belt before "Bridgerton," the period drama is what really launched him into global stardom. "Bridgerton" is also reportedly set to have eight seasons, each one focusing on a different Bridgerton sibling (via Variety), so there's plenty of room to have the duke make an appearance. So why would Page leave the series after having garnered so much attention and praise? The series executive producer, Shonda Rhimes, has commented on his departure and seemingly backed his decision with good reasoning.

In an interview with Variety, producer Shonda Rhimes suggested that there could be eight seasons of "Bridgerton," but she also doesn't think Regé-Jean Page will return as Simon Basset in any of them, but for good reasons. She cited Page's rising stardom and his character's ending storyline for his departure. "He's an enormous star now," she explained. "As I like to say, the idea that we would write Regé to stand around in the background doesn't make any sense at all to me. What would he do? is what I like to say."

When the internet freaked out over Page's departure, Rhimes did invite him back, to which he declined. "Rightfully, he said, 'I signed up to do this one lovely story, this closed-ended storyline. I'm good!'" the producer recalled.

To us, Page's departure from "Bridgerton" makes a whole lot of sense, as much as we are saddened to admit it. Simon Basset got his fairytale ending with Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and with Season 2 focusing on the eldest Bridgerton, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), and his love interests, Simon and Daphne are left in the background, which no one would be happy about. Although Rhimes' comments seem to confirm Page has left the series for good, we fans are still going to be holding out for a cameo or two in the upcoming seasons.