Bridgerton is picking up the pace in the queer romance department, and we’ve definitely taken notice. And if you’ve watched the third season of the hit Netflix Regency-era series, you might be wondering if Benedict Bridgerton is gay.
Though the season isn’t mainly focused on Benedict’s love life, he still shares some of the spotlight. The second-oldest Bridgerton often has escapades with women, but when a man was introduced, many fans quickly noticed how he easily got along with him.
Showrunner Jess Brownell has confirmed that there will be a variety of love stories—including queer love stories in the coming season of Netflix’s hit show. “I think this is a show about the many ways in which people love. So it only feels right to show all the ways in which people love, including queer love. So we are exploring queer love stories across the next couple of seasons,” she told Refinery 29.”I don’t want to say exactly how that plays out. But it was important to me to foreground queer love and to tell queer stories and tell stories about queer joy as well.”
Is Benedict Bridgerton gay?
While Benedict Bridgerton’s sexuality isn’t stated in the books, showrunner Jess Brownell and actor Luke Thompson have confirmed that Benedict is pansexual.
Thompson talked to Bustle about the character exploring his sexuality in season three. “Male sexuality, particularly, can feel boxy in the way that it’s explored,” the Transatlantic actor said. “Let’s be clear, it was an extremely repressive period. By our modern terms, the closest [descriptor] would be something along the lines of pansexuality—being attracted to the way that someone thinks and feels, regardless of gender. That’s a word that could be used. But what’s refreshing about it, certainly in the way that it’s being discovered at the moment, is that there is a sense of label-lessness about it.”
This season, Benedict is roped into some bedroom activities with Tilley Arnold and her friend Paul. The three share passionate kisses and sex, but everything comes to a halt when Tilley develops real feelings for Benedict. However, Benedict doesn’t know if he can commit quite yet. “If anything, [this throuple] confirmed something for him about himself,” Jess Brownell told Entertainment Weekly. “Benedict has always been a character who hasn’t felt like he quite fits in society, but he hasn’t figured out how to break the rules in a way that works for him. His connection with Tilley Arnold this season is really about him figuring out how to be of society while still being true to himself.
“His embrace of his queerness with the throuple is a moment where he’s really figuring out how to be true to himself,” she added. “And we’ll continue that going forward.”
Benedict’s love story is highlighted in the book An Offer From a Gentleman, third book in the series that was purposefully skipped over. Like the classic fairytale of Cinderella, Benedict met a woman at a ball. When the clock struck midnight, she ran away. Benedict did not know her name and only had a glove with which to chase after her. They reunite under bizarre circumstances and the two madly fall in love. In the book, they live happily ever after and have four children.
