You know how Bridgerton Season 4 ended with the truly massive reveal that there's a new Lady Whistledown in the Ton? Well, some sad-but-inevitable follow-up news: Nicola Coughlan—who plays Penelope/Whistledown in the hit Netflix series—is taking a step back from the show.
“It’s bittersweet,” Nicola told E! News of the decision to step back. “I feel like, God, I had such an epic run. I think that's part of the beauty of that world is it keeps reinventing itself. Every season being a new story—it takes on a different guise.”
Nicola didn't confirm how many episodes of Bridgerton Season 5 she'll be in, but did say she's always open to returning to the show. “I’ll always pop back to Bridgerton if they want me,” she explained. “If I can be set dressing, I'll be there. No problem.”
“It’s never a chore,” she added, taking a moment to shout out the crew. “The actors are contracted to come back, so they don't have a choice. The crew have a choice. If they don't want to be there, they don't gotta be there. That means a lot to us as the actors. I'm like, ‘You guys want to be around us,’ which is really nice.”
As for who the next Lady Whistledown is, Nicola has no idea because she's so bad at keeping secrets (her words!). “I told everyone and said I was her,” she said, “so they know not to tell me. But I genuinely have no clue and it's quite nice not to know. I don't need to know.”
Bridgerton Season 5 is expected to premiere in 2027, so we'll find out who Lady Whistledown is soon? Maybe?
