‘The Gilded Age’ will be without Richard Clay and T. Thomas Fortune in Season 4
Patrick Page and Sullivan Jones will not return as Richard Clay and T. Thomas Fortune in the HBO drama’s fourth season, Deadline reports, after both characters appeared across its first three seasons.
The Gilded Age will enter its fourth season without Richard Clay and T. Thomas Fortune, according to Deadline’s October 19 report. Patrick Page plays Clay, secretary to George Russell, while Sullivan Jones plays Fortune, publisher of the New York Globe. Their absence removes two recurring figures from the HBO period drama’s next eight-episode season.
Deadline reported that Page and Jones will not return for Season 4, while leaving open the possibility that one or both characters could make a guest appearance in a later season. The report did not establish why either character is absent from the coming season.
How Clay and Fortune figured in earlier seasons
Both characters were introduced as recurring roles in Season 1. Page and Jones became series regulars in Season 2, then returned to recurring status in Season 3, Deadline reported. Their changing status means the fourth-season news follows an earlier reduction in how prominently the two performers were billed.
Clay’s last reported storyline left him in a precarious position. George Russell fired his secretary, who then aligned himself with a rival. By the end of Season 3, Clay had become a prime suspect in George’s shooting, according to Deadline. The report does not establish what happened to Clay after that suspicion arose.
Fortune’s story was tied to Peggy Scott, whom Deadline describes as his mentee. During Season 3, Fortune tried to join Peggy on an out-of-town assignment without being invited. William Kirkland intervened, and the encounter led to a fistfight. Fortune’s absence therefore also changes the set of characters around Peggy’s work and relationships.
Season 4’s announced cast and release
A Skydance Belgique press announcement for HBO Max describes Season 4 as an eight-episode HBO Original co-production with Universal Television, available from November 2, 2026. Its cast list includes returning performers Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Denée Benton and Jordan Donica, alongside multiple new cast members. Page and Jones are absent from that list; the announcement does not give a reason for their absence.
Read in depth: Entertainment
Kylie Minogue’s lyrics and the AI copyright row: what Australia is considering
A music publishers’ group says Gemini reproduced Australian artists’ lyrics as lawmakers urge a review of AI copyright rules. The government has not announced a change.
Elizabeth Holmes film You Can See Everything scores $15m documentary hit
The secretive film, directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, grossed $15 million from 855 theatres, the biggest nonmusic documentary opening in two decades.
Sources and context
- 'The Gilded Age': 2 Supporting Characters Not Returning For Season 4Deadline
- La quatrième saison de la série dramatique HBO Original nommée aux Emmy® « THE GILDED AGE » dès le 2 novembreSkydance Belgique / HBO Max
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.