‘Bridgerton’ Season 4 Ending Explained: Who is the New Lady Whistledown?

Bridgerton Season 4 ends with, as one might expect from the romantic Netflix show, a long-awaited happily ever after for star-crossed lovers Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha). However, Bridgerton is far more than just a dreamy love story. It’s a sprawling ensemble drama dealing with the many lords, ladies, maids, and rakes inhabiting the ton. Oh, and the gossip columnist covering them all…

**Spoilers for Bridgerton Season 4, now streaming on Netflix**

Penelope Bridgerton (Nicola Coughlan) finally retires as Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton Season 4 Part 2, noting that it’s nigh on impossible for her to maintain the column without her former anonymity. According to Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell, she and executive producer Shonda Rhimes had been discussing Pen’s decision for a while now.

“Shonda and I had a conversation back in Season 3, really, about where we wanted to go with Whistledown,” Brownell told DECIDER. “We knew we couldn’t sustain Penelope being a public gossip columnist for too long and we felt like reintroducing a mystery.”

Bridgerton Season 4 ends with Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) bringing a new issue of Whistledown to Penelope while she’s in the midst of writing in their home. When he says he thought she’d given up the gossip column, she says she has. Penelope is simply working on her novel. “Then who the devil wrote this?” Colin asks.

“Whistledown allows us to put the mystery and the stakes back into it,” Brownell explained.

The new Whistledown is still voiced by the great Dame Julie Andrews, albeit with a bit more bite to her voice. “She” describes herself as a “very different author,” promising to keep her identity a secret for now. “Dear reader, we are going to have so much fun,” the narrator promises.

So who is the new Lady Whistledown? Are we looking at another Gossip Girl situation where the showrunners don’t know and have to invent a culprit late in the game? Here’s everything you need to know about the new Lady Whistledown, along with all of your other burning Bridgerton Season 4 questions…

Photo: Netflix

Who is the New Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton?

We don’t know! That said, when we asked Jess Brownell if she and her writers have a specific person in mind or if they’re just winging it, a la Gossip Girl, she quipped, “I feel like everyone is scarred a little bit from Gossip Girl because people have asked me that.”

“We do know,” Brownell confirmed. “Yeah, I think, yeah, we do know. So we have a clear sense of who we’re writing to as the suspect, but it won’t be revealed for some time.”

So who could the new Lady Whistledown be? Well, we know who it probably isn’t. Cressida Cowper (Jess Madsen) was hopeless when she tried to sell herself as the columnist, so it’s probably not the new Lady Penwood. Considering that Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) is leaving the ton for a spell*, it’s also probably not her. It’s most likely someone on the fringes we’ve overlooked, with access to information. Perhaps a well-placed servant or a recurring noble character.

*Worried you’ll miss Lady Danbury next season? “You won’t have to miss her too long, I think,” Brownell told us. “When she returns, she’s now in a very different position where she’s more the Queen’s equal, at least in terms of their friendship. So she’ll have a big role to play in Season 5.”

Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix

What Does Francesca’s Husband John Die From in Bridgerton Season 4 Episode 6?

Book readers knew it was coming, but it was still nonetheless shocking when John Stirling (Victor Alli) died of a “headache” in Bridgerton Season 4 Episode 6. Jess Brownell told DECIDER he had to die in this season because of “how it would motivate story for Benedict and Sophie.”

“I think because there’s such a great obstacle with class between Benedict and Sophie, John’s death does a real narrative service in terms of shifting Benedict’s perspective and shifting Violet’s perspective in a way that allows them to reevaluate and go, ‘You know, true love is worth it despite class,'” Brownell said. “Because, look, life is short.”

So did John really die from a headache? Not exactly.

Julia Quinn’s sixth book, When He Was Wicked, she explains in her Author’s Note that John died of a “ruptured cerebral aneurysm.” It’s when a blood clot in the brain suddenly bursts, bringing on a horrible headache and life-threatening bleeding. Even today, it can strike quickly and often leads to death. (Author’s note: someone close in my life passed away due to this exact medical condition in modern times and it really does happen out of the blue like that.) In the early 19th century, there would have literally been no way to save John.

When Will Bridgerton Season 5 Come Out?

We know that Netflix has already ordered Bridgerton Seasons 5 and 6 and that they will tackle Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and Francesca’s love stories. Jess Brownell teased DECIDER that we’ll learn very soon which sibling is next.

“We are starting production very soon on Season 5 and we tend to make an announcement close to the start of production about who the new leads are,” she said. (Our money is on Francesca, given how much of her book has already been seeded in the show, plus how front and center Hannah Dodd has been during the recent press tours. Just a hunch!)

Considering that Bridgerton takes about 18 months to 2 years to produces, we could see Bridgerton Season 5 in late 2027 at the very earliest. (Maybe back in its original Christmas Day release date???) However, the safer bet would put its return in early 2028.