While the identity of Bridgerton’s Lady Whistledown came as a surprise for many viewers, the Netflix series secretly hinted at her real name much earlier than it seemed. Bridgerton proved a huge hit for Netflix upon the show’s 2020 release. Showrunner Shonda Rhimes’s adaptation of the Julia Quinn novel series of the same name brought raunchy romance to the Regency Era, taking liberties with real-life history while providing enough thrills for viewers to forgive this oversight. Bridgerton focuses on the eight Bridgerton siblings as the family navigates love, lust, and lies in high society.

Bridgerton season 3’s arrival promises plenty of big twists and surprises, but few of these will be able to match the central mystery of season 1. Throughout that first outing, Lady Whistledown’s saucy gossip pamphlets dominated the action of the series. Characters fretted about what the anonymous columnist would reveal next, with everyone worried that their torrid affairs would be the talk of the town since Lady Whistledown seemingly had ears everywhere. It wasn’t until the season 1 finale that the show revealed Lady Whistledown’s real identity: Penelope Featherington. However, as surprising as it might seem, Bridgerton hinted at this the first time the character was mentioned.

Penelope Is Mentioned During Bridgerton’s First Whistledown Scene

In Bridgerton’s first Lady Whistledown scene, Eloise holds the pamphlet that Whistledown wrote and then mentions Penelope in dialogue. While Penelope seemed like an unlikely candidate for the role of muck-raking society journalist at the time, in retrospect, the nod was incredibly obvious. It feels almost forced and is a clear clue in hindsight, as Eloise rants about the importance of Lady Whisteldown’s role during the first episode, and the same outing highlights how close Eloise’s friendship with Penelope is. Bridgerton drew a clear link between the two characters, though the voice of Lady Whisteldown proved an effective distraction tactic.

Screen veteran Julie Andrews provided the voice of Lady Whistledown’s missives, thus encouraging viewers to assume that the character is one of the older cast members. Gossip Girl attempted something similar when Kristen Bell was cast as the titular mystery narrator’s voiceover, but that series infamously held off on revealing Gossip Girl’s secret identity until it was too late. Where Gossip Girl’s revelation was met with unintentional laughter from fans who had been paying attention, Bridgerton’s Lady Whisteldown reveal made much more sense. Penelope was an unlikely Lady Whisteldown suspect, but there was no reason why she couldn’t be the mysterious character.

Bridgerton Episode 1 Dropped Another Big Whistledown Clue

After Eloise’s rant, the very next scene shows Penelope being told to put down her book. She’s then reprimanded for wanting to continue her studies. The scene leaves not a slither of doubt that Penelope is more studious and academic than most of her contemporaries, so it’s hardly surprising she is the one writing a pamphlet. This scene also shows that Penelope has ambitions that have been thwarted by her status as a woman, which explains why Lady Whistledown’s pamphlets aimed to disrupt the social order. Although Bridgerton threw viewers off the scent with Eloise’s speeches about wanting more from life, the show did hint that Penelope was Lady Whistledown.