"Simone has done nothing to deserve this treatment."
The season four teaser of Bridgerton has sparked renewed discussion around the show’s apparent mistreatment of Simone Ashley and her onscreen character.
The actress plays Kate Sharma in the popular Netflix series.
Kate was the leading character of season two, alongside love interest Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey).
Fans have called out the Bridgerton makers for failing to promote Jonathan and Simone in the same way as they did with other lead pairs, like season one’s Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page and season three’s Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton.
Viewers have also claimed Kate and Anthony received less of a storyline compared to other leading couples.
Simone Ashley is confirmed to return in season four of Bridgerton but there was no sign of her character in the new teaser.
Given that she is the only main character missing from the teaser, her absence quickly sparked dismay among fans, some of whom accused the show of deliberately omitting Kate from the trailer.
One tweet read: “Bridgerton season 4 teaser video including everyone in the cast EXCEPT Simone Ashley.”
Another asked: “Where’s Kate?!?!”
A third added: “Unless there is some major drama behind the scenes, Simone has done nothing to deserve this treatment.”
This led to a viral thread on X that outlined several instances where the Bridgerton makers seemingly sidelined Simone Ashley and her character.
The thread pointed out that Simone and Jonathan did not take part in promotional photoshoots or magazine covers like the other leading couples.
They also did not sit down for joint interviews to discuss their characters’ love story.
The tweets also point out how Kate has been described unflatteringly by some of the people behind Bridgerton and how she is the only female character whose name has not changed after getting married.
The viral thread has since sparked a further discussion around Kate/Simone’s treatment.
A different instance where Kate’s name is written incorrectly on the official website. This time around, instead of being called Kathani, they referred to her as Katherine. https://t.co/Wmc7sU7qqw
— N ? (@chrkrose) February 16, 2025
One person wrote: “Literally from day one Kate (now VISCOUNTESS BRIDGERTON mind you) has been denied the bare minimum afforded to every single other Bridgerton female romantic lead: promo solely with her love interest, a backstory, a wedding, a baby and now they’ve even denied her her married name.”
Another said:
“The production team’s apparent disrespect towards her is just downright disgusting.”
Currently, Simone Ashley is busy with other projects.
She is set to star in Jennifer E Montgomery’s upcoming thriller, This Tempting Madness, and Prime Video rom-com Picture This.
It’s unclear whether Simone Ashley’s commitment to other projects had anything to do with her apparent lack of sufficient Bridgerton promotion.
However, Simone has repeatedly said that she is keen to remain on the Netflix show.
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