Is Benedict gay or bisexual in the Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn?

Bridgerton season four is here and the focus is squarely on Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and his search for love.

The Cinderella-esque story follows the second eldest Bridgerton as he meets and falls in love with Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), who attended his mother’s masquerade ball as The Lady in Silver despite being the maid to Lady Araminta Gun (Katie Leung).

The season is based on the third book in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, An Offer from a Gentleman. That sees Benedict meet Sophie Beckett at the masquerade ball, fall in love and their relationship develops from there.

So far, the first couple of episodes of the TV series adaptation have followed the same story. However, besides the change in Sophie’s surname, there is one big difference between the book and the TV show: Benedict’s sexuality.

Fans rejoiced in season three when Benedict was confirmed to be queer, delivering on long hinted at indications dating back to the very first season. In season three Benedict engaged in a tryst with Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) and her lover, Paul Suarez (Lucas Aurelio). And in the first episode of season four, Benedict kisses a man it’s indicated he’s been involved intimately with in the past, earning him the label “icon” by fans.

But in Quinn’s novels Benedict is presented as an exclusively heterosexual character. Benedict’s queerness made sense to a lot of fans due to his artistic sensibilities as well as his ambition to be known as someone beyond being a Bridgerton. His search for something else is a relatable one for many who have also been on a journey with their identity.

Speaking to Glamour in 2024, showrunner Jess Brownell explained that she and the show’s other writers had planned Benedict’s sexuality reveal since season one in 2020.

“We just had never found the exact right way to execute it. I felt like it was this dangling thread that I wanted to make sense of, because I do think it makes sense for Benedict’s character,” Brownell said citing Lady Arnold as the perfect excuse to explore Benedict’s identity. Though a label has never been given to the character’s sexuality.

Bridgerton‘s queer fans won’t be disappointed though as Brownell has previously said that Francesca will begin a gay relationship in season four. At the end of season three, Francesca met her husband John Stirling’s (Victor Alli) cousin, Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza). And at the season four premiere Brownwell confirmed a queer love story was still coming.

Bridgerton season four, volume one is streaming now on Netflix.

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