In Bridgerton Season 3, many questions have been posed as to whether Benedict Bridgerton is gay, bisexual, or queer. Theories about the sexual orientation of the second eldest brother of the Bridgerton family, played by actor Luke Thompson, have swirled since the first season of the show. This is partly due to showrunner Jess Brownell, who replaced Van Dusen as a writer and showrunner for the third and upcoming fourth season, being someone who is known to elevate LGBTQIA+ representation. Here’s whether we found out if Benedict Bridgerton is gay or bi in the third season of the popular Netflix series.
Is Benedict gay or bi in Bridgerton Season 3 or in the books?
Yes, as revealed in Bridgerton Season 3, Benedict Bridgerton is shown to be bisexual, having intimate relationships with both a man and a woman.
In the sixth episode of the third season, Benedict is introduced by Lady Tilley Arnold to her dear friend, Paul Suarez. After he witness Tilley and Paul kiss, she invites him to a potential threesome. Paul believed that his previous encounters with Benedict over the course of the night showed that he might be interested in a threesome, but Benedict hesitates and flees from the situation.
In episode seven, he receives a short letter from Tilley where she asks for time to explain herself. She confesses that she has a similarly casual, sometimes romantic friendship with Paul as she does with Benedict. Paul is bisexual and asked if he might be interested at the time. Later on, Benedict returns to Tilley’s home and choose to accept the invitation, sharing an on-screen kiss with Tilley and then Paul. We then see the impassioned result multiple times in the finale.
Many fans have speculated that Benedict was somewhere on the gay spectrum, as he had a friendship with the openly gay Sir Henry Granville in season one. That said, in the books there are no scenes showing that he is queer, so this interpretation of him in the show is a bit of departure. He also ends up marrying a woman named Sophie Beckett, though that may not come to pass in the show.
