All About Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley’s Bridgerton Return and Why They Weren’t in Season 4 Part 1 (Exclusive)

Showrunner Jess Brownell breaks down their cameo (and part 1 absence) in a new interview

Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley in ‘Bridgerton’ season 4, episode 6.Credit : Netflix

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Bridgerton season 4, part 2.

NEED TO KNOW

Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley both made a grand return to Bridgerton in season 4, part 2
Showrunner Jess Brownell tells PEOPLE why their absence was necessary in part 1
Season 4 of Bridgerton is streaming now on Netflix

Never fear, dearest gentle reader: the Viscount and Viscountess are back.

Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley returned as Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma in part 2 of Bridgerton season 4. They first appear in bed with their son Edmund, which is the first time viewers have seen them since they left for a trip to India during Kate’s pregnancy in season 3.

Anthony was summoned to London by his mom, Violet (Ruth Gemmell), to talk some sense into Benedict (Luke Thompson), after she learned of his ongoing romantic involvement with Sophie (Yerin Ha), ladies’ maid to Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) and Eloise (Claudia Jessie).

Kate and Edmund eventually joined Anthony (who was less than pleased to be called in to clean up Benedict’s mess so soon after his son’s birth). Kate shows off her new baby to the family, and she and Anthony make one last appearance this season in the surprise post-credits wedding scene.

Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton, Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton, Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton in “Bridgerton” season 4.Liam Daniel/Netflix

Fans were disappointed when Anthony and Kate were absent from part 1 of season 4, but showrunner Jess Brownell tells PEOPLE that it was an intentional decision.

“For Benedict in particular, it was important for Anthony to be elsewhere in part 1,” she says. His absence meant that “Benedict [had] a moment to struggle with the weight of being the second son who’s filling in for the viscount.”

Ruth Gemmell as Lady Violet Bridgerton, Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton, Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma, Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Bridgerton, Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton, Will Tilston as Gregory Bridgerton in season 4 of ‘Bridgerton’.Liam Daniel/Netflix

“Benedict’s sense of responsibility, or lack thereof, is a bit of a runner that we’re following with Benedict’s journey,” Brownell explains. “For Anthony to be in India — or later in Aubrey Hall — it allows Benedict the chance to rise or to fail.”

“With that being said, it also felt incredibly important to bring Anthony back,” she adds. “Because the relationship with Benedict is so key between the first and the second [parts].”

Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton in “Bridgerton” season 4.Liam Daniel/Netflix

Both Bailey, 37, and Ashley, 30, have been open about their desire to continue being part of the Bridgerton family as the show goes on.

Ashley told PEOPLE last year that slipping back into her dynamic with Bailey for the show is “effortless,” as she said, “I think all of us, whenever we go back to that set, it feels like it’s in its own time capsule. Time doesn’t move [there] as much as we do outside. It does feel like going back home and it is a comfort zone for sure.”

Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton, Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma in “Bridgerton” season 3.Liam Daniel/Netflix

Bailey has similarly said that the show’s cast is like a “family,” as he said the show is “an amazing thing to be a part of.”

“I’ll always pop back and say hello,” he said on Late Night with Seth Meyers in 2024.

Bridgerton season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.