If you love romance novels and some of the best rom-coms of all time, the chances are pretty good that you also enjoy Bridgerton. The Regency-era drama is one that viewers with a Netflix subscription cannot stop talking about, and while the 2025 TV schedule isn’t set to bring us more episodes, with news coming out recently that Bridgerton Season 4 has completed filming to prepare for its 2026 debut, the show is definitely on everyone’s minds. Star Jonathan Bailey was just asked about how being on the series has impacted his real life, and I can really get behind his hilariously honest answer about romance on the hit.
What Did Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey Say About Romance On The Show?
Look, few can deny the power of romance as it’s presented on Bridgerton. The romantic drama came out hot and gave fans some of its sexiest scenes (including that much-talked-about Taylor Swift-scored bang-a-thon) just in Season 1. In fact, with the bingeable Netflix show continuing to deliver adored book scenes like Penelope and Colin in front of the mirror, that’s unlikely to end any time soon.
When Jurassic World Rebirth star Jonathan Bailey stopped by Chicken Shop Date, the host asked a question about his time on the series (which he plans to be a part of for the duration of the mega-hit) that a lot of fans might also have: If working on Bridgerton has made him “better at romance.” His response was honest, but might surprise you, as the star replied:
No! [Laughs] It’s a fantasy, isn’t it? Romance is grounded and real.
This may seem like a knock at the series that made him famous, but it’s really not. All that Bailey is doing is admitting that the show based on all those Bridgerton books is what a lot of fiction is: a heightened form of reality. If we watched and were inundated with relationships that were completely “grounded and real” it’s incredibly likely that this story set among London’s ton would not be as popular as it is, or inspire as much devotion to certain quotes and revealing lines from the characters.
Most of our favorite TV shows involve a healthy dose of constantly upping the stakes to unrealistic levels just so that we stay intrigued in the stories and characters, and it’s the same thing here. Even though I can imagine that people probably used more flowery language and maybe engaged in bigger displays of affection back in the day, as seen on the sexy drama, I also know that everything has been turned up to 11 for us.
I really like the fact that the Wicked song and dance man (who’ll return in Wicked: For Good later this year) not only acknowledges that, but the reality that more often than not true romance involves being in the day-to-day with someone to share in life’s ups, downs and WTF-just-happened moments. It can’t always be getting caught in the pounding rain and, well…pounding under a gazebo to pass the time.
Sometimes it’s just making doctor’s appointments for your partner because you know their anxiety makes it hard for them to do it, and, in the long run, it’s stuff like that that really matters.
