Bridgerton fans have long speculated that Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) is gay or bisexual, with hints at his sexuality spanning as far back to season 1 when Benedict befriended Sir Henry Granville and people were picking up on some major chemistry between the two.
While Benedict Bridgerton doesn't have any same sex relationships in the first two seasons of the show, he sees two men having sex at one of Granville's private parties and seems to show curiosity and interest in it.
But come Bridgerton season 3 and Benedict meets a new character called Paul Suarez (Lucas Aurelio) and there were some developments which left many wondering if Benedict Bridgerton is bisexual or gay.
However, until this season, none of the Bridgerton siblings were confirmed as queer and the show had very few queer characters. Season one featured a gay artist and Henry Glanville, while Brimsley from Queen Charlotte was revealed as being in a gay relationship with the secretary to King George III.
That said, with the finale twist involving Benedict's sister Francesca, the tide could be turning.
Julia Quinn who wrote the original books has previously expressed that she would like to see an LGBTQ+ lead character, telling Cosmopolitan Spain “There is a gay character, Henry Granville, but [he’s] secondary. It would be great if there was a protagonist."
So is Benedict Bridgerton bisexual or gay? Let's get into what's revealed about the character's sexuality in season 3, who Benedict ends up with in the books and what actor Luke Thompson has said about his character.
During a recent audience Q&A in Dublin, Coughlan jokingly shut down any further discourse surrounding her body.
Is Benedict Bridgerton gay and does he end up with Paul Suarez?
Bridgerton season 3 sees Benedict spark a casual sexual relationship with Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah Arnold), with Tilley introducing Benedict to her other lover Paul Suarez. The two immediately vibe, with Paul and Tilley quickly inviting Benedict to a threesome with them.
While Benedict initially declines, later on Benedict and Tilley have conversations over whether Benedict has ever been interested in men.
Though Benedict says “I have known men like Mr. Suarez but I myself have never been tempted before", Tilley responds "A feeling between two people whatever their sex is the most natural thing in the world."
Newton appears to have a new leading lady in his life.
The end of episode 7 sees Benedict finding Tilley and Paul, with the three indulging in an impassioned kiss, with this escalating to a steamy threesome in episode 8. But when Benedict returns in the hopes of a second round, Tilley explains that she's falling in love with Benedict and only wants to date him.
Benedict responds "Tilley, you're extraordinary but I'm not certain that serious is what I want. What happened between the three of us, what happened since I met you had made me realise how good it feels to be free."
Though the Bridgerton brother makes clear that he's not interested in dating Paul, he clearly wants to explore his sexuality and we're so here for it.
Though his character is yet to label his sexuality, Bridgerton creator Shonda Rhimes explains “This season you watch him explore aspects of himself that he did not even know were there. I also think you watch him find the joy in the debauchery of life.”
Is Benedict bisexual in the Bridgerton books?
In the original Bridgerton books no reference is made to Benedict being queer, with him actually going on to marry a character that is yet to be introduced to the series called Sophie Beckett.
That said, the Bridgerton's masquerade ball, which is where Benedict meets Sophie in the books, was finally mentioned at the conclusion of episode 8 so it feels like we're inching closer to seeing his story play out.
Given that the Netflix show has already tweaked the order of the Julia Quinn books, perhaps future seasons could see Sophie reimagined as a male character, or simply allow Benedict more time to explore his sexuality a little more before they meet. Either way, it doesn't feel like Bridgerton will let this queer storyline fade into the background.
In 2022, Luke Thompson said of his character's sexuality: “Benedict has such a lovely openness and fluidity about him generally, and that’s really, really fun to play because it could go anywhere.”
He explained, "People get very excited and they want everything to be explored in the first few seasons and every corner of sexuality, gender. Obviously, there’s a way to go, so we’ll see what happens. There’s lots of space for him to explore all sorts of things."
So is Benedict Bridgerton bisexual or gay? It remains to be seen how Netflix's version of Bridgerton will handle his story, though he's lined up to be Bridgerton season 4's romantic lead.
And what does this mean for Francesca and John in season four?
