Jonathan Bailey & Simone Ashley Will Be Back For Bridgerton Season 4

Bridgerton is officially back, which means it’s time for more matchmaking, masquerade balls, and secrets waiting to be unearthed by Lady Whistledown. This season, it’s finally Benedict’s (Luke Thompson) turn to find love, after his siblings Daphne, Anthony, and Colin all met their matches in the first three seasons, with Yerin Ha joining the cast as Sophie.

However, there appears to be something missing, specifically Viscount Anthony and Viscountess Kate Bridgerton. Stars Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley are nowhere to be found on the first part of Bridgerton Season 4, which premiered on Netflix on Jan. 29.

Anthony and Kate’s absence was explained by the family’s housekeeper, Mrs. Wilson, who reveals in the season premiere that the couple is in Kate’s home country, India, to welcome their first child, which was already hinted at the end of Season 3.

“They’re sweet as long as you are not the one who has to look after them and mind their cries,” she says. “I, for one, am glad the viscountess had her baby in India.” However, that doesn’t mean that they’ve moved to India for good.

Will Jonathan & Simone Return?

In a sneak preview for the second half of Season 4, which plays at the end of Part 1’s last episode, Anthony and Kate are briefly seen holding their newborn baby, all but confirming that they will return as a family later this season.

According to IMDb, the couple will reappear in Episode 8, aka the season finale, meaning that viewers may only get a small update on Anthony and Kate’s next chapter. However, it’s always possible that the website has not yet been updated, and the couple actually appears in multiple episodes during Part 2.

Bailey previously confirmed his Season 4 return back in November 2024, when he was promoting Wicked on Late Night with Seth Meyers, telling the host that he was “reuniting with the family next week” while acknowledging that he was no longer the leading man. “It changes every year, you know, every two years,” he said. “What an amazing thing to be a part of.”

If you worry that Bailey’s future on the show is up in the air, fear not, as he has no plans to stop returning to the Bridgerton estate, unlike his former co-stars Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page. “Long-running series mean a lot to people, as does the romance genre,” he told TIME in September. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime invitation, and I value stories that have characters who are still there. I can go and be present and the heavy lifting is done.”