Ruby Barker, a lead actor in the first season of the hit Netflix show Bridgerton, has called out the streaming giant and Shondaland for their lack of support after she suffered from two psychotic breaks after production wrapped.
In an interview with The LOAF Podcast from Oxford University, Barker revealed that no one on behalf of Netflix or Shondaland reached out after hearing about her mental health struggles.
“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 OK or if I would benefit from any sort of aftercare or support,” shared the actress, as confirmed by Variety.The 26-year-old noted that she was beginning to struggle during the initial season, with her character’s journey also contributing to the break. Barker played a significant role in season one and appeared as a guest in season two as Marina, the social-climbing Featheringtons’ cousin, who moved to town while also hiding a pregnancy that made her the scandal of society.
“During filming, I was deteriorating,” explained the London native. “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.”
She recalled her first psychotic break happened after filming the first season; she stayed at a hospital for a week once filming had wrapped. However, the overnight success of Bridgerton stunted her ability to recover from the mental health ordeal, especially as her hospital stay was kept quiet to prevent any negative attention to the show’s rollout.
“In the run-up to the show coming out, I was just coming out from [the] 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,” shared the rising star.When the second psychotic break occurred in 2022, Barker was vulnerable to her fans via social media about the matter as Bridgerton returned with more episodes on Netflix in March of that year. However, while she did thank the streamer for allowing her to be part of the successful romantic drama, she is now being transparent about the level of gratitude she owes the content platform.
With her character no longer appearing on the show, Barker feels more empowered to speak out about her experience and the lack of consideration for her mental health to keep the show “bubbly and fun.”
The rest of the conversation regarding prioritizing one’s mental health can be viewed below.