Is Benedict Bridgerton Gay or Bisexual? Find Out Here!

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Pop culture commentator Corey Andrew discusses Benedict Bridgerton’s orientation

Co-authored by Glenn Carreau

Last Updated: February 26, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Is he gay?
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• How Benedict’s Sexuality Is Portrayed in Netflix’s Bridgerton
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• Is Benedict Bridgerton queer in the books?
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• Who does Benedict end up with?

|Show more |Show less

Bridgerton is once more making a splash with the release of season four, this one focusing primarily on notorious rake Benedict Bridgerton. And since Benedict has had quite a few relationships on the show, fans might be wondering about his sexuality—and how it’s changed from the book by Julia Quinn. A pop culture commentator partnered with wikiHow to find out all about Benedict! Read on to learn more about Benedict’s portrayal in Bridgerton and how his sexuality has been explored over the last couple of seasons.

Is Benedict Bridgerton gay in the Netflix show?

Pop culture commentator Corey Andrew says that Benedict Bridgerton’s sexuality is not explicitly labelled in Bridgerton. However, he’s likely bisexual or pansexual. He’s shown to be interested in both men (like Paul Suarez) and women (like Tilley and later Sophie) on the show.

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Section 1 of 4:

Is Benedict from Bridgerton Gay?

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   No—in Netflix’s Bridgerton show, Benedict is bisexual or pansexual. In the series, Benedict is shown to be attracted to both women and men. In an interview with Bustle, Luke Thompson (the actor who plays Benedict) described his character’s sexuality. “By our modern terms, the closest [descriptor] would be something along the lines of pansexuality—being attracted to the way that someone thinks and feels, regardless of gender.”

   • Andrew says, “Benedict Bridgerton’s character is portrayed with a curious spark regarding his sexuality. The show doesn’t explicitly label him, but there are definitely hints that he might be exploring his identity, especially considering the vibrant, LGBTQ+ representation we’re seeing more of in period dramas these days.”
   • Andrew adds that Benedict is “a character who loves art and is open-minded, which can signal a whole spectrum of possibilities. So, whether he’s dancing with the boys or just having a brooding moment with a paintbrush, Benedict is a provocative, multi-faceted character that keeps us guessing!”
   • Wondering who your fictional Regency twin would be? Take our "Which Bridgerton Character Am I?" quiz to find out!

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Corey Andrew is a pop culture commentator who co-hosts the celebrity gossip podcast “Naughty but Nice.” Corey is also a stand-up comic and songwriter.
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   Bridgerton’s showrunner has described Benedict as “bisexual.” In an interview with Variety, showrunner Jess Brownwell said, “I don’t think there’s a lot of representation that I’ve seen of bisexual men. There is a really harmful and untrue stereotype that bisexual men are actually just gay men.” Thus, it’s definitely been confirmed that Benedict is queer and is being portrayed as bisexual or pansexual (not gay) in Bridgerton.

   • In the same interview, Brownwell also discussed the importance of representing queer people in heterosexual-presenting relationships (like Benedict and his relationship with Sophie Baek in Bridgerton’s season four).
   • Brownwell said, “It’s really important that just because someone might end up in a heterosexual-presenting relationship, that does not negate their queerness. I think Benedict’s queerness will always be a piece of his identity.”
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Section 2 of 4:

How Benedict’s Sexuality Is Portrayed in Netflix’s Bridgerton

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   Benedict’s queerness was revealed in Bridgerton’s season three. During the season, Benedict begins a casual relationship with Lady Tilley Arnold. She later introduces him to another of her lovers, Paul Suarez, in hopes of having a threesome. While Benedict originally declines, he ends up discussing sexuality with Tilley—and, in the end, decides to have the threesome with her and Paul.

   • When Tilley first asks Benedict if he’s ever been interested in men, he says, “I have known men like Mr. Suarez, but I myself have never been tempted before.”
   • Tilley responds by saying, “A feeling between two people, whatever their sex, is the most natural thing in the world.”
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   Benedict decides not to pursue a serious relationship with Tilley. After their threesome, Tilley realizes she’s genuinely falling for Benedict and wants to be with him exclusively—but, although he’s fond of her, Benedict declines. He tells her, “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, made me realize how good it feels to be free.”

   • This is less about Benedict’s sexuality directly and more about his desire to enjoy life now that he has discovered new parts of himself through his relationship with Tilley and Paul.
   • Bridgerton’s creator, Shonda Rhimes, wrote that season three sees Benedict “explore aspects of himself that he did not even know were there” and “find the joy in the debauchery of life.”
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   Benedict has had at least one other fling with a man. At the beginning of Bridgerton’s season four—where Benedict is shown spending most of his time letting loose at debaucherous parties—Benedict clearly has an intimate moment with an unnamed man at a party. This might not be the only man he’s been with during the break between seasons, but it confirms that he has continued to explore his sexuality since the end of season three.

   • This follows Brownwell's comments to Entertainment Weekly at the end of season three: “[Benedict’s] embrace of his queerness with the throuple is a moment where he’s really figuring out how to be true to himself. And we’ll continue that going forward.”
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   Fans of the show have speculated about Benedict’s sexuality for years. Before season three, Benedict’s sexuality wasn’t really explored in detail, and he was only shown having relationships with women. However, there have been hints that he might not be heterosexual as far back as season one, when he befriended an artist named Henry Granville and discovered Granville being intimate with another man, seeming to react with curiosity as much as shock.

   • At the time, some fans felt the show was “gay baiting” with Benedict (making it seem like he could be queer without actually confirming it).
   • Since then, Benedict’s sexuality has been explored in more detail—and it’s clearer that, in those early days of season one, Benedict might not even have known about his own queerness (or been able to identify it).
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Section 3 of 4:

Is Benedict Bridgerton queer in the books?

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1. 
   No, Benedict appears to be heterosexual in the novels. Andrew says, “Flipping the pages of Julia Quinn’s novels reveals a different situation. In the books, Benedict is portrayed as [straight], and his romantic interests are much more traditional, with women. The books focus more on the Bridgerton family dynamics and less on the nuances of his sexuality.”

   • In the books, Benedict ultimately marries a woman (Sophie Beckett).
   • Many characters from the novels have been changed to create more diversity in the Bridgerton show, with the blessing of author Julia Quinn, who even told Cosmopolitan Spain that “it would be great” if there were an LGBTQ+ lead character in Bridgerton.
   • Andrew adds, “While the show is serving us a modern twist with a side of intrigue, the books keep it classic Regency romance. But that’s the beauty of adaptations. They can take a character and add layers that weren’t there before, giving us new ways to connect with them in our modern landscape.”
   • Although their story has yet to unfold, the Bridgerton show is also setting up a queer relationship between Francesca Bridgerton and Michaela Stirling. In the books, Michaela was Michael Stirling, Francesca’s love interest and the man she marries in When He Was Wicked.

Section 4 of 4:

Who does Benedict Bridgerton end up with?

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1. 
   In the show, Benedict’s main love interest is a woman named Sophie Baek. Spoilers for season four! As mentioned above, Benedict ultimately ends up in a heterosexual-presenting relationship with Sophie, not a male character. However, this doesn’t negate his queerness; Benedict is still very much a queer character; he just so happens to have found true love with a woman.

   • In Julia Quinn’s novel, An Offer from a Gentleman (the book Benedict’s season is based on), Benedict’s love interest is Sophie Beckett.
   • Sophie Baek is essentially the same character as Beckett, but renamed and reimagined as being of Asian descent for the Netflix series.
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