
“Bridgerton” actor Ruby Barker called out Netflix and Shondaland for failing to support her during two psychotic breaks that occurred in the wake of the romance series’ blockbuster success. Barker was a series regular during the show’s first season and returned as a guest actor for Season 2. She played Marina, a Featherington cousin whose scandalous pregnancy makes her a social pariah in Regency-era London. Barker said her first psychotic break occurred in 2019 after she wrapped production on “Bridgerton” Season 1. A second one occurred in 2022. The actor said she got “no support” from Netflix.
“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,” Barker said during an interview on Oxford University’s LOAF Podcast (via The Daily Beast). “Nobody.”
Related Stories

Cloud Adoption Key to Media Business Exploiting AI

'The Bear' Wins 11 Emmys, Breaking Its Own Record for Most Comedy Wins in a Single Year
Variety has reached out to Netflix and Shondaland for comment.
Popular on Variety
According to Barker, her mental health started declining during the filming of “Bridgerton.” She claimed her character’s isolated nature negatively impacted her.
“During filming, I was deteriorating,” she said. “It was a really tormenting place for me to be because my character was very alienated, very ostracized, on her own under these horrible circumstances.”
“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,” Barker continued on the podcast. “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 ok and that I could work and that it wasn’t a problem.”
Barker alluded to her psychotic breaks in a May 2022 Instagram post when she disclosed that she was “really unwell for a really long time” and had been “struggling since ‘Bridgerton.’” She thanked Netflix at the time for “saving her” by casting her in “Bridgerton,” but now she is criticizing the streamer for not supporting her.
“I am in hospital at the minute and I am going to be discharged soon and hopefully get to continue with my life,” Barker told her followers at the time. “I was raged-filled, angry, all this intergenerational trauma bundled up inside me. I was carrying the weight of the world on my back and now I am at the point where I have a diagnosis.”
Now on the LOAF podcast, Barker said that she had no support from the studios behind “Bridgerton” and had to promote the show through a distressing period of her life. She added, “It’s almost like I had this metaphorical invisible gun to my head to sell this show because this show is bubbly and fun. I don’t want to come out and poo poo on that because then I’ll never work again.”
Watch Barker’s full appearance on the podcast in the video below.
Read More About:
Jump to CommentsMore from Variety
China Box Office: ‘Stand by Me’ Retains Top Spot as ‘The Wild Robot’ Cranks Up Third Place
What Film Fund From AI Startup Runway Means for Content’s Future
China Box Office: ‘Stand By Me’ Wins Muddled-up Mid-Autumn Holiday Weekend
China Box Office: Thai Comedy ‘How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies’ Climbs to Third, as ‘Alien: Romulus’ Reaches $100 Million Milestone
Emmys Rebound Bolsters 2024 Awards Show Ratings
China Box Office: ‘Transformers One’ Takes Top Spot on Quietest Weekend of the Year
Most Popular
Luke Bryan Reacts to Beyoncé’s CMA Awards Snub: ‘If You’re Gonna Make Country Albums, Come Into Our World and Be Country With…
Donald Glover Cancels 2024 Childish Gambino Tour Dates After Hospitalization: ‘I Have Surgery Scheduled and Need Time Out to Heal’
‘Joker 2’ Ending: Was That a ‘Dark Knight’ Connection? Explaining What’s Next for Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker
‘Love Is Blind' Creator Reveals Why They Didn’t Follow Leo and Brittany After Pods, if They'll Be at Reunion (EXCLUSIVE)
Coldplay’s Chris Martin Says Playing With Michael J. Fox at Glastonbury Was ‘So Trippy’: ‘Like Being 7 and Being in Heaven…
Rosie O'Donnell on Becoming a 'Big Sister' to the Menendez Brothers, Believes They Could Be Released From Prison in the ‘Next 30 Days’
Why Critically Panned ‘Joker 2’ Could Still Be in the Awards Race for Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix
‘That ’90s Show’ Canceled After Two Seasons on Netflix, Kurtwood Smith Says: ‘We Will Shop the Show’
Charli XCX Reveals Features for ‘Brat’ Remix Album Include Ariana Grande, Julian Casablancas, Tinashe and More
Indian King of Comedy Kapil Sharma, Star of Busan Film ‘Zwigato,’ Takes On Global Streaming With Hit Netflix Show (EXCLUSIVE)
Must Read
- Film
COVER | Sebastian Stan Tells All: Becoming Donald Trump and Starring in 2024’s Most Controversial Movie
By Andrew Wallenstein 2 weeks
- TV
Menendez Family Slams Netflix’s ‘Monsters’ as ‘Grotesque’ and ‘Riddled With Mistruths’: ‘The Character Assassination of Erik and Lyke Is Repulsive…
- TV
‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Part 2 to Air on CBS After Paramount Network Debut
- TV
50 Cent Sets Diddy Abuse Allegations Docuseries at Netflix: ‘It’s a Complex Narrative Spanning Decades’ (EXCLUSIVE)
- Shopping
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Sets Digital and Blu-ray/DVD Release Dates
Sign Up for Variety Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Variety Confidential
ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXN%2Fjq2taKaVrMBwrtGim6Cdoqm8r3nRrpmyZZKWv6yx0WaqpZmdqHqvsdOfo6KwXaXAuq%2FHqKuim12Xv6atyqxkampjaoR4f5Rxa2g%3D