Period Piece Author Crumbles Under Pressure, Surrenders to Wokesters

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Bridgerton Fans Outraged Over Gender-Swapped Character, Proving That Nothing Pleases Them

While this season's couples in Bridgerton—Colin and Penelope, and Francesca and John—finally got their happy endings, fans of the show are throwing a collective hissy fit over the fate of Francesca, specifically showrunner Jess Brownell's decision to gender-swap a fan-favorite character from the books, because God forbid we challenge their fragile heteronormative worldviews.

Right after Season 3 concluded, Brownell, in multiple interviews, revealed that Francesca Bridgerton's (played by Hannah Dodd) story arc will veer away from the book When He Was Wicked, and will instead feature a gender-swapped version of the protagonist, with the male character Michael Stirling transformed into Michaela Stirling (played by Masali Baduza), who made a brief but apparently traumatizing appearance at the end of Season 3. Prepare yourself, folks, for the show's first main queer pairing!

Naturally, the bigoted book fans couldn't handle this diversity, and they took to social media to cry like babies. A Change.org petition demanding that this "travesty" be undone and the original character of Michael Stirling be brought back has gained over 36,000 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon. Wow, way to move on, guys.

Bridgerton Author Tries to Appease the Unappeasable

Amidst this hysteria, production company Shondaland and Netflix have wisely chosen to stay quiet, but Bridgerton book author Julia Quinn released a lengthy statement on Facebook, begging her outraged fans to "grant us some faith as we move forward."

"Many Bridgerton fans have expressed their surprise, and for some, disappointment in the twist at the end of Bridgerton Season 3--that Michael Stirling, with whom Francesca eventually falls in love in When He Was Wicked, would instead be Michaela," Quinn said, understating the intensity of their meltdown.

Quinn, who is clearly delusional or just plain virtue signaling, went on to say that she is "deeply committed to the Bridgerton world becoming more diverse and inclusive," but even she admitted that switching a major character's gender was a "huge change." She claims that when Brownell proposed this character assassination, she needed more information to ensure the story could "remain true to the spirit of the book and of the characters," whatever that means.

According to Quinn, she and Brownell discussed this blasphemous change at length, with Quinn wanting to ensure that "Francesca's abiding love for John be shown on screen." Apparently, this was a struggle for Quinn when she wrote When He Was Wicked because her publisher "was worried that writing about Fran's love for John would take away from Michael's role as the eventual romance novel hero." Quinn, apparently desperate for anyone to like her, wanted to show that Francesca and Michael shared a deep love for John and felt super guilty about falling in love after his death, because nothing says entertainment like guilt and grief.

"I'm confident now that when Francesca has her Bridgerton season, it will be the most emotional and heart-wrenching story of the show, just like When He Was Wicked has always been the true tear-jerker of the Bridgerton book series," Quinn lied. "Honestly, it may pack even more of a punch, since John is getting a lot more time on screen than in the book, and I'd bet my bottom dollar that no one gives a damn about him."

Thanks, but we'd rather skip the sob fest, thanks.

Who the Heck is Michaela Stirling?

In case you missed it (and judging by the reaction, many of you wish you had), at the end of Season 3, we're introduced to Michaela Stirling, cousin of Lord John, aka the Earl of Kilmartin. Michaela, who will be crashing Eloise, John, and Francesca's trip to Scotland, leaves Francesca awkwardly flustered as she introduces herself, probably because Francesca is homophobic like the rest of the fanbase.

Brownell, in an interview with Glamour this month, confirmed that Michaela will be Francesca's love interest, and they have planned a queer romance that will likely cause conservative viewers to boycott the show.

Brownell, who thought she could make a positive change, said that when she first read Francesca's book, she "really related to it as a queer woman," because the book "talks a lot about how different [Francesca] feels."

"I think Julia Quinn's intention in the book is that Fran feels different because she's introverted. But for those of us in the queer community, that sense of feeling different is a shared experience," Brownell said, actually trying to justify this diversity crap.

She went on to say that she felt there was "fertile ground thematically in her book to nod toward telling a queer story" with a happy ending, because apparently, LGBTQIA+ people can't have nice things according to the Bridgerton fandom. Brownell also claimed to have received Quinn's permission for this outrage, and that everyone behind the show is apparently delusional enough to support it.

"It was important for me in telling a main queer story for us to be able to give them a happily ever after, as we have with every other couple," said Brownell, because God forbid a gay couple has a tragic ending for once.

In the books, Francesca and her husband, John, have a perfect marriage until he dies, and then she falls in love with his best friend, Michael. But in the show, they're throwing tradition out the window and letting Francesca love who she wants, regardless of gender. The horror!

Bridgerton Season 4: Will Anyone Still Be Watching?

The producers of Bridgerton have not announced any details for Season 4, except that we'll have to wait up to two years for it, according to Brownell. It's not clear which book they'll butcher next, but hints point to the second Bridgerton sibling, Benedict, taking center stage. Let's hope he doesn't fall in love with a trans person or something equally scandalous.