Bridgerton Might've Dropped Hints About Its New Lady Whistledown

Spoilers ahead for Bridgerton Season 4. After revealing her identity last season, Penelope reckoned with her Lady Whistledown mantle throughout Bridgerton Season 4. Wanting to explore new creative pursuits and wary of her column’s impact on the people she writes about, she asked Queen Charlotte to let her step down.

“I’m certain for you that Whistledown is one of your only ways of living in the outside world,” she says. “But knowing what it feels like to be so confined, would it not be pleasant to give society a reprieve? To allow them to simply live their lives the way they wish, without fear?”

To that end, Penelope releases her final column at Cressida’s ball. But in the final moments of Season 4, she’s surprised to find... another one. “Far too much transpires for this author to remain silent. And so we are reunited,” the new Whistledown voiceovers — once again in Julie Andrews’ familiar tone. “It is assuredly a reunion rooted in care and love, though this time with a very different author. But for now, my new identity shall remain a secret. Dear reader, we are going to have so much fun.”

Unfortunately, you can’t consult Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton books to find out who the new Lady Whistledown is. Unlike in the show, the column essentially disappears after Penelope’s identity is revealed in Romancing Mister Bridgerton. So for now, viewers can only theorize about who the new writer might be. Here are three possibilities so far.

Alice Mondrich

In Season 4, Alice steps into a new role as one of Queen Charlotte’s ladies-in-waiting. Bored by the more superficial details of the job, she resolves to use her newfound access to “do something of meaning,” she tells her husband, Will, before hatching a scheme to make the monarch recognize Benedict and Sophie’s love for each other.

“You and I, we were given this life out of thin air,” she says. “And it has been wonderful. And we are enjoying ourselves at last. But I should like to help others enjoy it as well.”

Indeed, the Mondriches have experienced life as part of the working class and, recently, the nobility — lending Alice a unique perspective that she could put to use as Lady Whistledown. As she tells Queen Charlotte at the final ball of the season, she’s missing out on lots of “amusing” tea by ignoring the general population.

What’s more, Alice has proven herself an ethical snoop! She’s observant, but unwilling to damage someone’s reputation for her own personal gain. After all, she saw Benedict and Sophie sneaking off together at Hyacinth’s party, but when asked by the queen if she had any gossip to share, she kept it to herself.

If Alice is the new scribe, she could put her own spin on the column. Already from this new Lady Whistledown’s final monologue in Season 4, it’s clear she has a kind outlook — calling the new endeavor one “rooted in care and love,” and signing off with: “Dear reader, we are going to have so much fun.”

Capitalizing on the queen’s newfound interest in the working class, perhaps Alice could weave in thoughtful but entertaining commentary about society. As she told her husband earlier, she wants to make a difference — and this could be a meaningful way to do that.

Not to mention, Emma Naomi (who plays Alice) recently told Cosmopolitan that her character goes on “one of the hugest shifts in a character’s fate of the Bridgerton universe” in Season 4. Yes, she was ostensibly referring to the lady-in-waiting gig — but maybe there’s another element to that shift, too?

Hyacinth Bridgerton

Of course, there are other possibilities! One popular theory that’s emerged is that Hyacinth, the youngest Bridgerton, could step into the role. As one fan on X (formerly Twitter) pointed out, Hyacinth proved her ability to go incognito when dressing as a maid at Cressida’s ball — a skill she could definitely apply to gossip duties.

And of course, no one was more worried than her to find out Lady Whistledown had put down the quill. “Who will write of my debut? Who will write that I am the diamond of the season?” she fretted.

Eloise Bridgerton

Eloise is another contender fans are rallying behind. Several viewers cited Eloise and Penelope’s fireside conversation, where Eloise said she identifies with the queen’s love for Lady Whistledown. “The queen lives in a very gilded cage. And Whistledown may be her only way to travel to the outside world,” she said, before adding that she resonates: “I am in my own gilded, unmarried Bridgerton cage.”

Perhaps the column could serve as an outlet for Eloise as she navigates the transition from self-described “spinster” to her next chapter.