Bridgerton Star Ruby Barker Slams Netflix and Shondaland for Not Providing Mental Health Support

Bridgerton star Ruby Barker is calling out both Netflix and Shondaland for not offering mental health support during filming of the hit series. According to Barker, who played Marina in Seasons 1 and 2 of Bridgerton, she suffered a psychotic breaks after wrapping production on Season 1 of Bridgerton in 2021 and a second in 2022 and neither time received support from Netflix or Shondaland. Barker said that not only did she not receive any support, but no one even reached out to see if she was okay.

“Not a single person from Netflix, not a single person from Shondaland, since I have had two psychotic breaks from that show, have even contacted me or even emailed me to ask me if I’m okay or if I would benefit from any sort of aftercare or support. Nobody,” Barker said on Oxford University’s LOAF Podcast (via Variety).

Barker went on to explain that her mental health began to decline while filming the first season of Bridgerton, something she partially attributed to her character’s being “very alienated”. Barker ended up being in the hospital a week after shooting the season.

“During filming, I was deteriorating. It was really a really tormenting place for me to be because my character was very alienated, very ostracized, on her own under these horrible circumstances,” she said. “When I went into hospital a week after shooting Bridgerton Season 1, it was really covered up and kept on the down-low because the show was going to be coming out. In the run-up to the show coming out, I was just coming out from hospital, my Instagram following was going up, I had all these engagements to do… My life was changing drastically overnight and yet there was still no support and there still hasn’t been any support all that time. SO, I was trying really, really hard to act like it was okay and that I could work and that it wasn’t a problem.”

Barker, who referred to her situation in a since-deleted post to Instagram last year where she disclosed that she had been “struggling since Bridgerton” but at the time thanked Netflix for saving her by casting her in the series, went on to say that she had to promote the series during the difficult time as though she had a “metaphorical invisible gun” to her head.

“It’s almost like I had this metaphorical invisible gun to my head to sell this show because this show is bubbly and fun,” Barker said. “I don’t want to come out and poo poo on that because then I’ll never work again.”

A Third Season of Bridgerton Is In The Works

Earlier this year during Netflix’s virtual TUDUM event, the streamer shared a first look at the third season of the series’ upcoming third season which will center around the love story between Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton). Season 3 does not yet have a release date.

Here is the official synopsis for Season 3 of Bridgerton: Season 3 of Bridgerton will find Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) as she’s finally given up her crush on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) after hearing him disparage her to his friends last season. Instead, she’s focusing on finding a husband who will respect her independence so she may continue her double life as Lady Whistledown, away from her mother and sisters. Due to her lack of confidence, however, her search doesn’t go so well.

Meanwhile, Colin is back from his summer travels with a new look and major swagger. He is disheartened to learn that Penelope, the one person who always appreciated him as he was, is giving him the cold shoulder. Eager to win back her friendship, Colin helps Penelope boost her confidence so as to attract the perfect husband. But when his lessons start working a little too well, Colin is faced with figuring out what his true feelings for his friend really are.

Complicating matters for Penelope is her rift with Eloise (Claudia Jessie), who has found a new friend in a very unlikely place, while Penelope’s growing presence in the ton makes it all the more difficult to keep her Lady Whistledown alter ego a secret.