Nicola Coughlan Confirms She'll Barely Appear In Bridgerton Season 5
We'll miss you, Pen!
Dearest gentle readers, it seems it may be time to bid farewell to one of the Bridgerton’s most beloved socialites — or, at least, prepare to see her around the ton a lot less. Nicola Coughlan has confirmed that her role in the series will be significantly reduced moving forward, following Penelope’s major twist at the end of Season 4.
The Netflix drama’s upcoming fifth season began production in March 2026, but Coughlan has revealed that she isn’t going to the set often this time around. “Season 5 had started filming already, so I won’t be in it very much,” Coughlan said during her April 29 appearance on the Dish podcast. She added that she’s enjoying her new, very sparse shooting schedule for the hit series. “I’m always happy to come back. I think it’s a genuinely lovely job to come back to. I have it so good now ‘cause I come in for a few days. I’m, like, ‘Yay! How is everyone? I’ll see you in two months. Bye.’”
The update is somewhat surprising, given that Coughlan is one of the buzzier breakouts from the Bridgerton cast, but it’s also very in-line with how past season leads have largely disappeared from the show. Regé-Jean Page is the most notable star to never return after helming Season 1, but there’s also Phoebe Dynevor, Jonathan Bailey, and Simone Ashley, who have all only briefly appeared in the seasons after their main story.
The Season 4 ending also hinted at Penelope’s reduced role in the show’s future. In the most recent season, Penelope publicly quit her position as the ton’s premiere gossipmonger, Lady Whistledown. The finale revealed that a new, mysterious writer had taken up the Whistledown mantle, with Penelope confirming it was no longer her. So, with a new catty columnist picking up the quill, Penelope is free to focus on her family and stay out of Season 5’s drama... for the most part, at least.
The upcoming season will adapt Francesca Bridgerton’s love story with Michaela Stirling, the cousin of her late husband, John. It’s also been confirmed that Season 6 will focus on Eloise Bridgerton. Since Eloise is Penelope’s closest friend, there is some hope that Coughlan could get a larger role then — but for right now, Penelope is remaining on the sidelines.
