Jonathan Bailey Reacts To The Backlash From Fans After Bridgerton Changed Love Interest For Francesca

Jonathan Bailey is not pleased with the Bridgerton fandom’s reaction to the change in Francesca’s love interest from Michael to Michaela.

During the August 22 episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Bailey, 36, who plays Anthony Bridgerton, was asked by host Josh Horowitz about the audience’s response to certain changes in the show.

“It is interesting to see their responses to shifts in the adaptation,” Bailey remarked. “For me, sometimes it is quite upsetting.”

Bailey specifically mentioned the casting of Masali Baduza as Michaela Sterling, Francesca’s new love interest, noting, “To see the way they have changed the gender of Michael to Michaela Sterling, which I think is brilliant and exactly what should be happening.”

Season 3 of Bridgerton expanded on Francesca’s romance by introducing her now-husband, John (Victor Alli), during her debut into society. By the season’s end, Francesca and John planned to move to Scotland with his cousin Michaela.

Michaela’s introduction was unexpected for readers of Julia Quinn’s books, where John’s cousin is named Michael. However, Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell revealed that altering Francesca’s love story was always part of the plan.

“The reveal of Michaela vs. Michael — from the books — is something that I’ve been pitching since season 1 of the show,” Brownell told in June.

“My approach to telling a queer story on Bridgerton has been to look to the books for thematic cues. I didn’t want to just insert a queer character for queer character’s sake.”

Brownell received Quinn’s approval before making the change. “The fact of the matter is, the fan base is not a monolith, and you’re never going to please every single side of the fan base,” Brownell explained.

“In deciding to tell a queer story with Francesca, I spoke with Julia Quinn, and got her blessing.”

Brownell added, “We discussed that with almost any book adaptation, there will be fans who are disappointed to see their favorite characters altered. I don’t think there is any book where that wouldn’t happen, so for me, it came back to story and character.”

Following the reveal and the ensuing debate among fans, Quinn supported the twist in a statement.

“I’m confident that when Francesca has her Bridgerton season, it will be the most emotional and heart-wrenching story of the show, just as When He Was Wicked has always been the tear-jerker of the Bridgerton book series,” she wrote on Instagram in June.

“Honestly, it may pack even more of a punch, since John is getting a lot more screen time than he did on the page, and I think it’s fair to say we’ve all fallen a little bit in love with him.”

Hannah Dodd, who portrays Francesca, also praised the change. “I’m so proud to tell this story. It’s a show about people, and everyone deserves representation on screen,” she told Harper’s Bazaar Australia last month.

“It’s amazing that my character can bring happiness to those who usually suffer. That makes me so happy.”

Dodd was excited about Bridgerton prioritizing inclusivity. “It’s just so nice. I don’t think I can really get my head around it, but I know that characters do that for people,” she continued.

“I know that Bridgerton is a comfort show for people, and seeing how much they love the show is so beautiful. It’s crazy to me that my character would make someone who’s used to suffering happy.”