Julian Fellowes Gives Health Update Ahead of ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 3 Premiere

Downton Abbey and The Gilded Age creator Julian Fellowes is sharing an update on his health ahead of the premiere of The Gilded Age Season 3. Fellowes, 75, will be using a wheelchair at various premiere events for the HBO period drama taking place this week. He assures fans that he’s “doing all right” as he informs them of what to expect in his upcoming public appearances.

Fellowes was diagnosed with spinal stenosis two decades ago. Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back, which can cause pressure on the spinal cord and affect mobility. Fellowes underwent a successful surgery to treat the condition years ago. Complications from the condition have arisen again, but he says that he’s “OK” and still able to work.

“I’ve got these mobility issues, and I use a wheelchair rather more than I would like, but that’s not the same as feeling ill,” Fellowes told Deadline. “I think you can stand anything like that as long as you feel OK, and that’s the position I’m in now. I have to use a wheelchair because my spine doesn’t work as it used to. But in terms of feeling OK and getting on with things and working and all that stuff, I’m fine. There are many people much worse off than I am.”

The Gilded Age Season 3 premieres on Sunday, June 22, on HBO. It will have its world premiere event on Thursday, June 12, at the Tribeca Festival in New York City, which Fellowes will attend. Fellowes is also gearing up for the release of the third and final Downton Abbey movie, The Grand Finale, set to come out on September 12.

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Fans of both series have long wondered if the HBO and PBS dramas could ever cross over. Fans feel that Elizabeth McGovern‘s character, Cora Crawley, could be the character who bridges the gap between the two series since she’s an American who was born in 1868 and grew up in Ohio before moving to England (The Gilded Age is set in 1880s New York). Fellowes downplayed the possibility of a crossover to Deadline, but he didn’t rule it out entirely.

“I kept hearing that Downton was going to be connected to the Gilded Age, but the story in Downton starts in 1912,” he said. When asked if Downton ancestors could possibly be seen in The Gilded Age, Fellowes grinned and said, “Maybe. We’re not done yet, so we’ll see.”

The Gilded Age, Season 3 Premiere, Sunday, June 22, 9/8c, HBO, Streaming on HBO Max