
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Fans of the original series that inspired the breakout hit “Bridgerton” TV show on Netflix were shocked in the final minutes of the season 3 finale when the character Michael Stirling was introduced by another name—Michaela—and played by a female actress, a change that sets the show up to include a lesbian love story down the line and pushed the series author to step up and defend the swap. (Spoilers below.)</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignleft size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="683" height="1024" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2152820585.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-62245" style="width:515px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2152820585.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2152820585-200x300.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong><em>Brigerton Author Julia Quinn(Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Netflix)</em></strong></figcaption></figure></div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The third season of “Bridgerton,” the second half of which was released last week, followed the relationship of Francesca Bridgerton and Earl of Kilmartin John Stirling, who introduces his new wife to his cousin in the final moments of the season.</p>



<p>That cousin, in the books named Michael, was instead introduced as Michaela Stirling and is played by actress Masali Baduza.</p>



<p>The swap likely went unnoticed—and seemed inconsequential—by those who have only watched the show, but fans of the books know that Michael Stirling and Francesca go on to fall in love after John Stirling&#8217;s early death.</p>



<p>With the swap, “Bridgerton” is setting itself up to tell the now-lesbian love story of Francesca and Michaela, a change that sparked such furious online discussion it prompted &#8220;Bridgerton&#8221; author Julia Quinn to issue a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/juliaquinnauthor/?hl=en" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">statement</a>&nbsp;Monday.</p>



<p>Quinn said she is &#8220;deeply committed to the ‘Bridgerton’ world becoming more diverse and inclusive as the stories move from book to screen,&#8221; and said that, despite some fan “disappointment,” she is confident the season featuring the pair will be the &#8220;most emotional and heart-wrenching story of the show.&#8221;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>“Thank you to readers and fans for your feedback. I am grateful for your understanding and touched by your deep commitment to the characters of the Bridgerton world,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/juliaquinnauthor/?hl=en" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Quinn wrote</a>&nbsp;in her statement. “I ask that you grant me and the Shondaland team some faith as we move forward.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The “Bridgerton” TV show, which has broken records for Netflix and streaming since its first season released in 2021, is known for its inclusivity. The show heavily features characters of color despite its regency-era setting and focus on London’s wealthiest families (the queen of England is played by Black actress Golda Rosheuvel) and has included LGBTQ+ love interests before. Most notably, older Bridgerton family sibling Benedict explores his sexuality in the third season and shares several steamy scenes with a man named Paul Suarez. Male characters Brimsley and Reynolds, the queen and king&#8217;s secretaries, respectively, share an explicit romance in the spin-off series &#8220;Queen Charlotte&#8221; and a queer artist named Henry Granville features briefly in the first season of &#8220;Bridgerton.&#8221;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/BRIDGERTON_307_Unit_05670R-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-62246" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/BRIDGERTON_307_Unit_05670R-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/BRIDGERTON_307_Unit_05670R-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/BRIDGERTON_307_Unit_05670R-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/BRIDGERTON_307_Unit_05670R-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/BRIDGERTON_307_Unit_05670R-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong><em>Bridgerton. Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton in episode 307 of Bridgerton. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2024</em></strong></figcaption></figure></div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>5.5 billion. That&#8217;s how many minutes fans spent streaming &#8220;Bridgerton&#8221; on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/06/18/bridgerton-dominates-streaming-ratings-in-may-but-young-sheldon-captures-more-viewers-overall/">Netflix in May,</a>&nbsp;Nielsen data shows, making it the most-watched show across any streaming platform that month. That number includes streams of season 3 part 1, which released May 16, plus the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/05/15/bridgerton-season-3-netflix-premiere-time-release-date-binge-watch-regency-romance-most-viewed-top-shows/">binge-watching</a>&nbsp;of older seasons.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>Season 4. Netflix back in 2021&nbsp;<a href="https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/bridgerton-season-4-cast-release-date-news" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">confirmed</a>&nbsp;a fourth season of &#8220;Bridgerton,&#8221; but when it will be released and which character will serve as the romantic lead is still unknown.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>The debut of the “Bridgerton” series on Netflix sent sales of Quinn’s original eight-book series soaring. In 2020, the year before the show&#8217;s release, Quinn sold 77,541 books, according to data from Circana Bookscan. The next year, that number shot to 1.6 million and remained high with 1.16 million in 2022. The series sold an additional 495,435 books last year and, so far in 2024, has sold 357,493.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/06/18/bridgerton-dominates-streaming-ratings-in-may-but-young-sheldon-captures-more-viewers-overall/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>&#8216;Bridgerton&#8217; Dominates Streaming Ratings In May-But &#8216;Young Sheldon&#8217; Captures More Viewers </strong></a></p>


BRIDGERTON_306_Unit_01860R

‘Bridgerton’ Gender Swap Controversy Explained: Why ‘Michaela Stirling’ Has Thrust Fans Into Turmoil


<h2 class="wp-block-heading alignwide has-text-align-center" id="h-south-africa-music-conductor"><strong>South Africa | Music conductor </strong></h2>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center" id="h-social-media-net-worth-instagram-5-8k-twitter-5-3k-facebook-824-tiktok-688"><strong><u>SOCIAL MEDIA NET WORTH </u></strong><br>Instagram: 5.8K <br>Twitter: 5.3K <br>Facebook: 824<br>TikTok: 688</h4>



<p><strong>Words and Curation:</strong>&nbsp;Chanel Retief|<strong>Art Director</strong>: Lucy Nkosi |&nbsp;<strong>Photography</strong>: Katlego Mokubyane&nbsp;<strong>Photography Assistant:</strong>&nbsp;Sbusiso Sigidi Studio: NewKatz Studio, Johannesburg|&nbsp;<strong>Videographer</strong>: @astro.vn |&nbsp;<strong>CNBC Africa Videographer:</strong>&nbsp;Thabo Mathebula|&nbsp;<strong>Video Editor:&nbsp;</strong>Chanel Retief|&nbsp;<strong>Styling</strong>: Bontlefeela Mogoye and Wanda Baloyi |&nbsp;<strong>Outfits supplied by</strong>: Kworks Design; Imprint South Africa; House of Suitability; LSJ Designs|&nbsp;<strong>Hair &amp; Makeup:</strong>&nbsp;Makole Made</p>



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<blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>“She [Alicia Keys] is the one who actually picked me. She had five options. So it wasn&#8217;t because I was a pretty look or whatever. She was like, ‘Listen, there is just something about you&#8221;</p>
</blockquote>



<p>POWER. THAT IS THE WORD that comes to mind, as Pitse walks on to the set with her conducting baton for the photoshoot for this feature. Hailed the youngest African woman orchestra owner, conductor, classical music arranger, producer, musician, and curator of intimate musically inspired/influenced spaces and experiences, it’s not difficult to see why. </p>



<p>However, this has not come easy. </p>



<p>“You&#8217;ve seen me, I&#8217;m quite tiny,” Pitse laughs. “You get into this industry where you see all these groot manne (big men) and they&#8217;ve been in the industry and the business for so long. So the question you always get is ‘What are you doing here?’ There&#8217;s always that thing where I have to prove myself more than I should, and I always have to walk on stage or into spaces, or even at just rehearsals, being over-prepared.”</p>



<p><em>Serenade Magazine </em>noted in a 2022 article that the average proportion of women in orchestras is still less than 50% while the number of female conductors is barely 10% of the total.</p>



<p>“Historically, in the orchestra space, you would find that not a lot of women have even the first seat. You won&#8217;t really have a female concertmaster, or even a female conductor,” Pitse adds. “It&#8217;s a very tough industry, because like I&#8217;m saying, you have to know more than what you are actually required to. So, there&#8217;s always someone who&#8217;s checking you and often it’s a guy who&#8217;s checking to see if [you] are who you say you are.”</p>



<p>Born and raised in the rich and colorful City of Tshwane, it was in the vibrant streets of South Africa’s capital city that Pitse first discovered and developed her deep love for music. With a family active in the Salvation Army, she soon found her way to its famous brass band, where she learned to play the English horn, trumpet, flugelhorn, and cornet.</p>



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<iframe loading="lazy" title="Meet Cover Star: Ofentse Pitse &quot;My Dream Was Always to Break Barriers&quot;" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q8k4BjLnXvo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p>“My grandparents were always at church and subsequently so was my mother. I had to learn something to just make sure that whenever she&#8217;s having a meeting, I&#8217;m doing something at the same time,” Pitse adds. “The trumpet became my first love in my introduction to music.”</p>



<p>From the Salvation Army straight to one of Netflix’s biggest shows, <em>Queen </em><em>Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story</em>.</p>



<p>Grammy award-winning artist Alicia Keys wanted to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her song <em>If I Ain&#8217;t Got You</em>, so Netflix created a 74-piece global orchestra made up entirely of women of color to perform a rendition for the show. At the orchestra’s helm was Pitse.</p>



<p>“She [Keys] is the one who actually picked me. She had five options. So it wasn&#8217;t because I was a pretty look or whatever. She was like, ‘Listen, there is just something about you, and from what I&#8217;ve seen and what I&#8217;ve heard, you are so dynamic’.” Although it felt exciting to have Keys co-sign her, Pitse felt a lot of pressure to perfect this as it was a song the world had marveled over for 20 years</p>



<p>“We were recording the music video and in between a take, the camera guys were switching cameras. I was standing on a step in front and [Keys] was at the grand piano on my left. She then started playing the diary and when I looked to my left, she was intentionally looking at me as she was playing.</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>“OFENTSE KNOWS WHERE SHE HAS COME FROM, AND SHE CERTAINLY KNOWS WHERE SHE IS HEADING – ALL THE WAY TO THE STARS.”</p>
<cite><strong>—Adam Howard, South African music composer</strong></cite></blockquote>



<p>“And now she&#8217;s playing the diary and I&#8217;m looking at her and we are jamming to that diary. And it was such a special moment because I think at that moment, it meant so much to us that we were finally doing this. We were finally here [as an all-female orchestra]. When she stepped away from the piano and we were having our whispering chat, she said to me ‘Listen, we did this’… and that was amazing.”</p>



<p>Adam Howard, award-winning South African music composer and supervisor, describes Pitse as a visionary.</p>



<p>“I think Ofentse’s view of what an orchestra is and can be is just what is needed in a sometimes stagnant and closed classical world. Her passion is palpable and her work ethic second to none. There is a powerful African saying, <em>umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, </em>which means a person is a person through our relationships with other people. Ofentse knows this. She knows where she has come from, and she certainly knows where she is heading – all the way to the stars,” says Howard.</p>



<p>When Pitse entered the industry, her main goal was always “to break barriers” so that classical music could be propelled into popular culture, something that became evident when she did the Netflix special.</p>



<p>“I&#8217;ve always tried to fuse the world of the very mainstream and sacred world of classical music with the mainstream world of pop,” Pitse adds. “That is also something I continuously want to do and create more access [to] so if people can see that orchestra is actually not so boring, they will want to be a part of this world.”</p>



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Tag: Bridgerton

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

‘Bridgerton’ Gender Swap Controversy Explained: Why ‘Michaela Stirling’ Has Thrust Fans Into Turmoil

Meet Cover Star: Ofentse Pitse “MY DREAM WAS ALWAYS TO BREAK BARRIERS”