Jonathan Bailey fans rip 'condescending' Shondaland article claiming 'Bridgerton' made his career

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Fans of Jonathan Bailey are furious with the production company Shondaland for suggesting in an article that their show 'Bridgerton' launched him to stardom, the Daily Mail.

The 36-year-old has played Anthony, also known as Lord Bridgerton, in the Netflix period drama since it premiered in 2020. However, he was already well-accomplished by that time, which the controversial article had initially failed to consider.

Bailey is presently being applauded for his role as Prince Fiyero in 'Wicked', in which he stars alongside Ariana Grande.

The controversy over the Shondaland article about Jonathan Bailey

Shondaland published an article on their website on Monday, December 2 titled, "A Timely Ode (and Maybe a 'You're Welcome' for?) Jonathan Bailey."

It began with the paragraph, "We at Shondaland would like to take the unusual, unprecedented step of apologizing and also saying, 'You're welcome,' at the same time."

The text sparked outrage over social media, as fans of the English actor slammed the production company for attempting to take credit for his stardom.

Soon, the title of the article was edited to read, "A Timely Ode to Jonathan Bailey," while the new introductory paragraph reads, "When the brilliant team of producers behind Shondaland's hit Netflix series Bridgerton selected Jonathan Bailey to play Anthony — the eldest Bridgerton son and the viscount of their noble house — perhaps we weren't quite aware of the new era of unholy thirst that we would go on to usher in."

Jonathan Bailey's acting career prior to 'Bridgerton'

Jonathan Bailey's career in the entertainment industry began long before 'Bridgerton', with the actor making his first appearance on the television screen in the 1997 British series, 'Bramwell', at the age of nine.

After a host of smaller roles, he starred alongside David Tennant and Olivia Colman in the crime drama, 'Broadchurch', which aired between 2013 and 2017 on ITV. Bailey also had a prominent role in the mockumentary sitcom, 'W1A', between 2014 and 2017, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge's comedy, 'Crashing'.

He has been in a number of films, including 'St Trinian's', 'Permanent Vacation' and 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age', all released in 2007.

Bailey received a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical in 2019 for his performance in Stephen Sondheim's musical 'Company'. His portrayal of Timothy "Tim" Laughlin in 'Fellow Travelers, won him a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in January this year. 

Fans of Jonathan Bailey blast Shondaland for trying to take credit for his success

Jonathan Bailey fans were furious with the Shondaland article and did not hold back from sharing their takes on the production company's claims. 

One wrote, "I’ve finally read through that Shondaland article and what the f**k is this condescending bull***t," and another said, "I’m on a rant today I also want to add shame on Shondaland for writing that mess of an article about Johnathan Bailey. Put some respect on his name."

"Shondaland and Bridgerton should be VERY grateful Jonathan Bailey is even willing to come back," expressed a person.

"Jonny’s success is due to his talent and hard work, not Shondaland. It’s disappointing they now claim credit for it after failing to promote and support him while he was a lead on their show. He won an Olivier long before Bridgerton. He’s the one who should say 'You’re Welcome,'" pointed out someone else. 

"There is something so sinister about Shondaland trying to take credit for Jonathan Bailey’s success and popularity while they paid him dust during his actual season," remarked a fan. 

An individual quipped, "Shondaland saying Jonathan Bailey owes his success to Bridgerton is so funny bc he literally has so many other works that are better than Bridgerton."

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