Jessica Madsen, known for playing Cressida Cowper in the hit series Bridgerton, marked Pride Month by opening up about her identity and love life in a heartfelt Instagram post.
On Saturday, June 1, the 32-year-old actress shared a series of photos that included artwork celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, a historical photo of a march following the Stonewall Riots, and a simple selfie.
In the selfie, Madsen posed wearing a colourful tie-dyed T-shirt, rainbow rhinestones on her face, and a bucket hat emblazoned with “LOVE SUPREME.”
What caught everyone’s attention was her caption, in which Madsen proudly declared, “I am in Love with a woman, loud about it and proud about it!” She accompanied her message with the hashtags: #pride, #pridemonth, #loveislove, and #gaypride.
Support for Madsen’s post poured in from her Bridgerton co-stars. Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington, responded with several heart emojis, while Jonathan Bailey, known for his role as Anthony Bridgerton, echoed the sentiment with a series of heart and raised hands emojis. Hannah Dodd, who portrays Francesca Bridgerton, expressed her affection with a comment saying, “Love youuuuuu,” alongside a yellow heart emoji. Joanna Bobin, who plays Lady Cowper, also chimed in, saying, “Go baby girl! Love you.” The author of the original Bridgerton book series, Julia Quinn, showed her support with a collection of rainbow heart emojis.
Madsen has hinted about her sexuality in the past. Last June, she shared another Instagram post including graphics celebrating bisexuality. In the caption, she wrote, “Bi the way…. Happy Pride month (rainbow and red heart emojis).”
In addition to celebrating Pride Month, Madsen recently addressed the hate her character, Cressida Cowper, receives from fans. In an interview with People, she said, “The internet is wild. People are not the biggest fan of her,” adding that she receives messages saying, “Thank you for letting me hate you so much,” or “I love hating you so much.” Madsen takes the comments in stride, often replying with a lighthearted “You’re welcome.”
“It makes me feel like I’ve done my job right,” she explained. “I really don’t take those things personally. But I like it when people who I meet have appreciated the show. Yeah. That’s always lovely.”
