Good news for those awaiting Season 4 of Bridgerton in January 2026: Jonathan Bailey (aka Lord Anthony Bridgerton) has said the first episode will blow everyone’s minds.
Speaking to TIME editor Olivia-Anne Cleary on the red carpet at the 2025 TIME100 Next gala on Oct. 30 in New York City, Bailey— an honoree and cover star—teased that the first episode is “phenomenal.”
“There’s one shot that happens quite early on in the [first] episode that will blow the fans’ minds. It takes everyone on a journey to new parts of the household,” he said, before adding: “Oh no, I’ve just said too much!”
Bailey, 37, has been acting for three decades, but Bridgerton catapulted him to a new level of fame when it debuted on Netflix in 2020. Since then, he has earned a 2024 Emmy nomination for Fellow Travelers, and is set to appear on the big screen once more as Prince Fiyero in the second installment of Wicked, out Nov. 21.
And people who have worked with him say that the newfound celebrity has not gone to his head.
The TIME100 Next tribute dedicated to Bailey was penned by none other than his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande, who admitted that she was initially starstruck when she met him at a dance rehearsal, but within minutes, “I felt like I was giggling with someone I had known for 20 years. I felt so immediately safe, connected to, and obsessed with my new scene partner and friend.”
As Cleary described in a TIME100 Next profile: “Part of Bailey’s appeal lies in his ability to embody masculinity without any toxicity. He has embraced the chaos of the public-facing industry he’s grown up in, transforming viral moments into charitable campaigns and turning thought-provoking roles into life-affirming missions.”
Part 1 of the fourth season of Bridgerton will debut on Jan. 29, 2026, and Part 2 will debut on Feb. 26. Readers, prepare to have your minds’ blown.
The TIME100 Next Gala was presented by Rolex, Toyota, General Catalyst, Project Management Institute, Meta, Smirnoff, and The Spark Collective.
