Phoebe Dynevor Broke Her Silence on Regé-Jean Page's 'Bridgerton' Exit

Regé-Jean Page's exit from Bridgerton may have been a shock to some fans (including Kim Kardashian), but his co-star Phoebe Dynevor said she knew it was a part of the plan all along.

"I had a bit of a heads up, so I knew. But yeah, I guess it is a spanner," she said during an episode of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast. "But again, the show centers around the Bridgertons and there are eight books. And I think maybe the fans of the books were more aware of that happening than the fans of the show. Because I think the fans of the books know that every episode is about a different sibling. And we're very much passing on the baton to the lovely Johnny [Bailey], who plays Anthony and that will be the main storyline of season two and the story arc of season two."

"Obviously, it's sad to see [Page] go," she added, "but I'm looking forward to being reunited with my family."

Last month, it was confirmed that Page would not be returning to the second season of Netflix's smash hit, news that shocked and upset fans, to say the least.

"It's a one-season arc. It's going to have a beginning, middle, end — give us a year," he told Variety about his time on the show. "[I thought] 'That's interesting,' because then it felt like a limited series. I get to come in, I get to contribute my bit and then the Bridgerton family rolls on."

When the show was renewed for a third and fourth season, producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers spoke of his exit, with Rhimes telling Vanity Fair she was "really shocked" at fans' outrage and grief, "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!"

"[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," she added. "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!"

Beers added, "It's delightful that fans were so invested in his character, and he's a wonderful actor and a terrific guy. I just want to say that. Okay? He is."