“’Bridgerton’s’ sex scenes appearing alongside some of the most obscene material the web has to offer has sparked horror and anger,” an insider told U.K. publication The Sun, adding cast member Phoebe Dynevor is upset with the circulation of the sex scenes. “Raunchy set pieces have contributed to the buzz but it is a prestige drama based on best-selling novels. To peddle scenes as pure smut is beyond the pale.”
The source added, “It’s been particularly distressing for Phoebe and Regé-Jean, two young actors who signed on for the role of a lifetime and did not consent to being exploited in this way.” “Bridgerton” is far from the first television series to have sex scenes illegally ripped from episodes and distributed on porn websites. “Game of Thrones” sex scenes were frequently circulated across the internet, while Hulu’s breakout 2020 series “Normal People” had its sex scenes edited into a compilation video that was distributed on PornHub. After “Normal People” executive producer Ed Guiney condemned PornHub for distributing the compilation, the video was removed from the platform. “We’re hugely disappointed that excerpts from the series of ‘Normal People’ have been used in this way,” Guiney said to Variety about the matter last year. “It’s both a violation of copyright and more importantly, it’s deeply disrespectful to the actors involved and to the wider creative team. We have taken appropriate steps to require that the content be removed from the platform with immediate effect.” IndieWire has reached out to Netflix for further comment. The first season of “Bridgerton” is streaming on Netflix. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
