Rege-Jean Page, a.k.a. The Duke of Hastings, a.k.a. The Man Who Made Everyone Swoon in Bridgerton Season 1, is still out here dodging Bridgerton-related questions like a pro.
After delivering peak romantic drama in the first season, Rege-Jean famously left the show faster than a scandalous debutante fleeing the ballroom. He didn’t return for seasons two or three, and let’s just say his season four invitation is looking as nonexistent as a polite Lady Whistledown.
So when Today’s Savannah Guthrie tried to get some tea out of him, asking if fans were still upset about his departure, he hit back with the smoothest dodge in history.
“I have absolutely no idea,” he said, clearly avoiding eye contact with the Bridgerton hive. “I enjoy moments with folks when I meet them on the street.” (Translation: Fans definitely still bring it up, but he’s pretending they just say ‘hello’ and not ‘WHY DID YOU LEAVE US??’)
Savannah, not one to let a good Bridgerton interrogation go, confessed she didn’t want his time on the show to be over. (Same, girl. Same.)
But Rege-Jean, ever the diplomatic duke, reminded everyone, “The show hasn’t ended. The show’s still going.” (Translation: “Y’all still have pretty people in fancy outfits, what more do you want from me?”)
And as for his friendships with the cast? “I check in with my friends who are on the show,” he said, implying that yes, he still texts his former on-screen pals—probably sending cryptic, duke-like messages such as, “Good morrow, dear friend. How fares the ton?”
He also made sure to emphasize that everything is “pretty copacetic,” which is a very fancy way of saying, “Yeah, we’re cool. Nobody is throwing their cravat in a rage over my absence.”
Rege-Jean is doing just fine, his Bridgerton besties are doing just fine, and we are not fine because we still miss the Duke. But it’s okay. We’ll just rewatch season one for the 57th time and pretend everything’s copacetic.