Ruby Barker Accuses Netflix & Shondaland of Not Supporting Her

Magic 95.5 Featured Video

Source: Eamonn M. McCormack / Getty / Ruby Barker

An actor from the hit Netflix period piece drama Bridgerton is calling out both the streaming giant and Shondaland for what she describes as neglect during her time on set.

Ruby Barker, a series regular during season one on Bridgerton and made a guest appearance during season two as Marina, a Featherington cousin, is now accusing both Netflix and Shondaland of not supporting her while she suffered from two psychotic breaks.

Spotted on Variety via The Daily Beast, Barker made an appearance on Oxford University’s LOAF Podcast and touched on her first psychotic break she suffered in 2019 after production wrapped on season one of Bridgerton and a second one in 2022, claiming 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. Nobody,” Barker said.

Barker Details Her Psychotic Breaks

Barker claims her mental health began taking a turn for the worse while filming Bridgerton, linking it with her character’s “isolated nature.”

In the show, Barker’s character Maria becomes a pariah due to her scandalous pregnancy.

“During filming, I was deteriorating,” Barker revealed. “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.”

Barker continues, “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. 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. So I was trying really, really hard to act like it was okay and that I could work and that it wasn’t a problem.”

This Isn’t The First Time Barker Spoke On Her Mental Health Issues Publicly

Barker has been very open about her mental health struggles, revealing that she was taking “a bit of a break” following a mental health hospitalization. At the time, she thanked both Netflix and creator Shonda Rhimes for their support and for assuring her she would be able to return to the show when she was better.

In the now-deleted Instagram post, she wrote:

“I am going to take a little bit of a break for myself, and I would encourage others, if you are struggling, do yourself a favor and take a break. Stop being so hard on yourself… I can’t carry on the way that I was. I need to change, so that is what I am trying to do. I want to survive, and I will survive. I am going to.”

You can see Barker’s full interview on Oxford University’s LOAF Podcast below.