Luke Thompson on Benedict’s ‘refreshing’ coming out scene in ‘Bridgerton’ season 4
Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek and Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton in the sixth episode of ‘Bridgerton’ season 4. (Liam Daniel/Netflix)
(SPOILER ALERT)Bridgerton season 4 is continuing its reign atop the Netflix charts, having danced its way into its seventh week as part of the platform’s Top 10 TV chart.
Millions of fans are still swooning over Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Sophie’s (Yerin Ha) love story. There’s a specific moment in the sixth episode of the season that had fans reeling. Sophie reveals to Benedict that her mother was a maid and that her father was Lord Penwood. In return, Benedict shares a secret of his own: he’s been intimate with men in the past.
Thompson spoke to ABC Audio about how these confessions allowed the pair to finally communicate and see each other in new ways. He said one of the reasons he loves the moment is because it is not your usual coming out scene.
“It’s atypical in that, and that’s always been the case with Benedict … sex hasn’t been something he’s ever been particularly scared or worried about,” Thompson said. “Him opening up to Sophie like that feels like something he is doing for Sophie as a gesture of openness rather than to get something off his chest.”
Thompson truly believes Benedict when he tells Sophie he refuses to be ashamed about the confession.
“That doesn’t feel like a cover,” Thompson said. “I think that’s genuinely true. And quite distinctive, I think, for a male character to feel no shame like that.”
The actor said it “feels like it’s a real gesture for Sophie rather than something that he’s trying to sort out for himself.”
“I think that’s refreshing,” he said.
Part 2 of Bridgerton season 4 arrived to Netflix on Feb. 26. All episodes are streaming now.
Taylor Frankie Paul and 18 other former leads of ‘The Bachelorette’ in ‘The Bachelorette: Before the First Rose.’ (John Fleenor/ Disney)
Bachelor Nation, get ready to welcome a brand-new Bachelorette to the franchise.
ABC has announced that a special preview of Taylor Frankie Paul‘s upcoming season of The Bachelorette is coming very soon. The special, which is called The Bachelorette: Before the First Rose, will debut on ABC and Hulu immediately after the Oscars live telecast on March 15.
The new special will find 18 former Bachelorettes gathered together to look back on all of their respective journeys and offer advice to the newest leading lady, Paul.
Former Bachelorettes who will be featured on the special event are Trista Sutter, Meredith Phillips, DeAnnaPappas, Ali Fedotowsky-Manno, Ashley Hebert-Rosenbaum, Emily Maynard-Johnson, Desiree Siegfried, Andi Dorfman-Hart, Kaitlyn Bristowe, JoJo Fletcher, Rachel Lindsay, Becca Kufrin, HannahBrown-Woolard, Tayshia Adams, Katie Thurston, Rachel Recchia, Charity Lawson and Joan Vassos, who is the franchise’s first-ever Golden Bachelorette.
“Consider this our first date. Watch The Bachelorette: Before the First Rose, a special preview of Taylor’s season following the live telecast of The Oscars March 15,” the official Bachelorette account posted to Instagram on Wednesday.
The Bachelorette‘s new season premieres March 22 on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas after performing an Argentine tango to ‘Cell Block Tango’ from ‘Chicago’ on season 34 of ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ (Disney/Eric McCandless)
Team Whark It is back together, but this time on the Broadway stage.
Dancing with the Stars professional dancer Mark Ballas is making his return to Broadway by joining his partner from season 34, Whitney Leavitt, in the Tony-winning revival of Chicago.
Ballas will take on the role of Billy Flynn in a four-week limited engagement that runs from April 6 to May 3. Leavitt will extend her time in the production once again and continue to play Roxie Hart throughout Ballas’ run in the show. The pair danced an Argentine tango to “Cell Block Tango,” one of the most popular songs in Chicago, during season 34 of Dancing with the Stars.
“This is a full-circle moment for me. One of the first shows I auditioned for after graduating musical theatre college was for the ensemble of Chicago in the West End in London,” Ballas wrote on Instagram. “I was 19 years old, new to the industry, learning how to pay my dues, accept rejection, and be told no. Twenty years later, I’m making my return to Broadway as Billy Flynn.”
Ballas previously made his Broadway debut in a production of Jersey Boys in 2016, staying with the show until it closed in January 2017. He then went on to star in Kinky Boots on Broadway in 2018.
“Hard work, persistence, dedication to the craft, and relentlessness really do pay off. Thank you to my musical theatre teachers for instilling this in me, and for the years of tough love,” Ballas wrote.
Leavitt also took to Instagram to share her excitement over Ballas’ casting.
“This secret was way too hard to keep! The incredible @markballas & I will be performing TOGETHER in @chicagomusical,” Leavitt wrote. “Can’t wait to perform on stage together again.”
Melissa Gilbert speaks with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview airing on ‘Good Morning America’ on April 6, 2026. (ABC News)
Melissa Gilbert is speaking out for the first time about the child sexual contact charges against her husband, actor Timothy Busfield.
“This has been the most traumatizing experience of our lives,” Gilbert told Good Morning America co-anchor George Stephanopoulos in her first interview about the charges, airing Monday on GMA.
In the interview, a preview of which was released Thursday, Gilbert opened up about what she believes happened and the aftermath of the charges.
“Our life as we knew it is done. We are grieving what we had. All of our plans, all of our dreams, all of our ideas, all of our projects,” said Gilbert, who wed Busfield in 2013. “For Tim, it’s done. He’s canceled … even if he’s exonerated, he will always be that guy. The last person in the world who would hurt a child.”
She continued, “And believe me, if I thought for a second that Tim Busfield hurt a child, he’d have a lot more to worry about than prison.”
When asked by Stephanopoulos why she is speaking out now, Gilbert — who spoke alongside her and Busfield’s attorney Larry Stein — replied, “It’s time.”
Busfield was indicted on Feb. 6 by a grand jury in New Mexico on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child, according to Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman.
The actor — best known for his role as Danny Concannon on The West Wing — later pleaded not guilty to all four counts.
The charges against Busfield stem from accusations that he inappropriately touched a child actor on the set of the TV show The Cleaning Lady, which was filmed in Albuquerque, according to a criminal complaint.
The actor denied the allegations when interviewed by investigators, according to the criminal complaint.
Busfield turned himself in to authorities in New Mexico in January and was held without bond. He was later released on his own recognizance pending trial.
At the time of the indictment, Stein told ABC News that the grand jury’s decision was “not unexpected.”
“As the saying goes, a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich. What is deeply concerning is that the District Attorney is choosing to proceed on a case that is fundamentally unsound and cannot be proven at trial. The detention hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the State’s evidence — gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure,” Stein said in a statement.
He added, “Mr. Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State’s case in open court — where evidence matters — not behind closed doors.”
In a statement to ABC News Thursday, the district attorney’s office said its focus “remains on the victims.”
“The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office handles hundreds of child abuse cases every year. When a child reports abuse, we take it very seriously,” the statement said. “In this matter, a neutral grand jury indicted the defendant on four Counts of Criminal Sexual Contact of a Minor (Child Under 13).”
“This office follows our ethical duty to only proceed on cases where a good faith basis exists to prosecute,” the statement continued. “While it is not surprising that the defendant is attempting to garner public support through the media, our focus remains on the victims. We will continue to fight for them every step of the way.”
Busfield’s trial is tentatively set for May 2027 in New Mexico.
Watch more of Melissa Gilbert’s interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Monday, April 6, on Good Morning America from 7 a.m. ET to 9 a.m. ET on ABC.
