‘Bridgerton’ Author Didn’t Expect ‘Meanness’ of Michaela Gender-Swap, Teases ‘Heart-Wrenching’ Season (Exclusive)

Bridgerton author Julia Quinn was initially surprised by the backlash that came after her character Michael Stirling’s gender was changed on the show, turning Michael into Michaela.

“I knew it was going to be a big deal. I mean, I think it is a bigger story change than making the characters more racially diverse,” Quinn, 55, exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month, while discussing her position as a judge in The Novelry’s “Next Big Story” contest. “I did not expect the level of meanness among some of the fans.”

She added, “I mean, some of them, like, I knew some people were going to be really disappointed and upset, and I wanted them all to know that I talked about it with the showrunner.”

Quinn’s bestselling regency romance series follows the eight Bridgerton siblings on their journeys to find love. The sixth book, When He Was Wicked, chronicles Francesca’s romance with Michael Stirling, the cousin of her late first husband, John.

The third season of the Netflix adaptation featured Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and John (Victor Alli) throughout their courtship and whirlwind wedding. At the very end, Francesca met John’s cousin, Michaela (Masali Baduza), which caused a stir among fans.

“I had more time to get used to the idea than everybody else, and also I have more information about it than everybody else about how it’s going to be done. So, I felt good about it,” Quinn said of the gender-swap. “I expected some disappointment, [but] I didn’t expect people, like, calling me names and saying like, ‘Oh, go deposit your big fat check,’ and ‘You sold out. You’re a terrible person.’ So, that was a little strange, but I’m fine. It’s just, like, if you can’t handle it, there’s always the book. I’m not going to rewrite the book, and you can have one of each.”

While faithful Bridgerton readers and viewers might have been caught off guard by the twist, Quinn told Us that she knew about the change “well over a year before everybody else.”

“It was a done deal. I mean, it was happening,” Quinn told Us of her interactions with showrunner Jess Brownell. “I wanted to understand what they were going to do and I wanted to have some input in how they were going to do it because there were certain parts of the story that I wanted respected, [like] the fact that [Francesca] really loved John.”

She continued, “I know that a lot of people think that there were things that happened in season 3 to indicate that she didn’t really love John. She does, trust me, and that needed to be an important part of the story that both she and Michaela are really mourning him, because that’s the crux of the story. [In] When He Was Wicked, they both feel terribly guilty because they both loved this person.”

Francesca and Michaela’s eventual love story has yet to take center stage onscreen. The show, which is currently filming season 4 following Benedict and Sophie’s romance, has already been renewed for two more seasons, but it’s not known which Bridgerton siblings will take the lead. (In addition to Francesca, Eloise, Gregory and Hyacinth remain eligible options.)

When it is Francesca’s turn, Quinn promises that her queer romance will live up to the hype.

“I think it’s gonna be great, and I think anything that allows more people to see themselves in the story is a good thing,” Quinn stressed to Us. “I don’t know exactly everything [about the script], but I have some sense of what’s gonna happen. I think it’s gonna be a heart-wrenching, emotional season, which is what When He Was Wicked was.”

She continued, “Out of all the novels, that’s the one that really is a little bit apart [and] it’s quite different than the other ones. I think we’re going to get all those emotions with the season, and I couldn’t be more excited.”

Bridgerton season 4 returns in 2026. Premiere dates for seasons 5 and 6 have yet to be announced.