Is Benedict Bridgerton Gay? Season 3 Unveils a New Side of the Character (SPOILERS)

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 3 of 'Bridgerton.'

So far, Bridgerton viewers have picked up on sexual chemistry between Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and other men. “That boy, Benedict Bridgerton, is gay, and I really believe that,” one fan wrote in a now-deleted tweet shortly after Season 2 made its debut.

Throughout the first two seasons, the Netflix hit drama didn't confirm that Benedict has any sort of same-sex attraction. “I watched a whole season of Bridgerton just for Benedict to not be gay?” another fan chimed in a now-deleted tweet after watching Season 1.

And those Twitter users aren’t alone. “Benedict is 100 percent my favorite of the Bridgerton siblings, but he’d be even better if they let him live his truth as a gay,” another person wrote.

“Finished Bridgerton Season 2. If Benedict doesn’t have gay sex in Season 3, I’m going to scream and cry and bite someone’s head off," another person wrote.

Well, it appears these fans were on to something as Season 3 reveals a whole new side to him.

Through Season 2 of Bridgerton, Benedict’s love interests and sexual partners have all been women, including the modiste Genevieve Delacroix (Kathryn Drysdale). He even speaks poetically about what it truly is to “admire a woman” and “look at her and feel inspiration” and “delight in her beauty so much so that all your defenses crumble, that you would willingly take on any pain, any burden for her.”

In fact, Benedict's poetic words were so compelling that even his brother, Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), attempts to pass them off as his own with the hopes of winning over Edwina in Season 2. But as Season 3 unfolded, we saw an entirely different side of Benedict.

During his romantic rendezvous with Lady Tilly (Hannah New) in Season 3, Benedict soon learns that she and Paul Suarez are more than just friends. After witnessing the two sharing an intimate moment, Lady Tilly essentially invites Benedict to join in together with them, aka have a three-some. Initially, Benedict is almost paralyzed by the offer and quickly leaves. Is it because he is denying himself of what he truly wants or because he never envisioned himself with another man?

Regardless, Benedict decides to accept the offer and appears quite pleased with his choice. In Season 3, it's evident that Benedict enjoys the romantic company of both men and women, although it isn't clear if he is gay at this point. For now, Benedict appears to be embracing his freedom and open-mindedness, allowing himself to let loose and explore new experiences.

In the book series — potential Bridgerton spoiler alert! — Benedict is straight, by all indications. A family tree on author Julia Quinn’s website shows that Benedict marries one Sophia Beckett, as described in the third book, An Offer From a Gentleman, and that the couple has four children, Charles, Alexander, William, and Violet.

Of course, Bridgerton could very well deviate from its source material and lead Benedict down an entirely different path as producers have already started doing. “I read the Benedict book to get an idea,” Luke told Town & Country. “They’re taking Julia Quinn’s idea and a lot of the stuff in the novels, but they’re also doing their own thing.”

In response to Town & Country’s question about Benedict’s sexuality, Luke says that his onscreen alter-ego is “clearly a very open character and that’s extremely fun to play.”

“And I think that it’s not narrowly sexual… he’s just a very open person, full stop,” the actor adds. “I tend to think that’s a question for the writers, really, because in order to be playing a character, I sort of have to surrender that side of my brain. The writers are like God, as in I just have to play with what they give me. I think there is that openness, which is really lovely to play with, but in terms of where it goes, I don’t know.”

And the outgoing showrunner Chris Van Dusen, who left Bridgerton after producing the second season, recently commented on Benedict’s sexuality as well.

“With Benedict, he gets to be a part of this whole other world, this artsy space with all these colorful characters, and I think, as a second son, he’s been given a certain amount of freedom,” Chris told Digital Spy and other outlets. “It’s been so interesting for me to see what he’s been able to do with that freedom. So I hope definitely that the show will continue in that vein.” And it certainly did!

Seasons 1 through 3 of Bridgerton are now available to stream on Netflix.