Chicago Med mainstay Marlyne Barrett is leaving the series.

Variety reports that Barrett, who has been a part of the series since its premiere in 2015, has decided to leave the series before the start of Season 11 for personal reasons. She is one of the last three remaining cast members, including S. Epatha Merkerson and Oliver Platt.

Barrett’s character, Maggie Lockwood, is a charge nurse at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. Maggie keeps the emergency center running smoothly, and her firm but calming demeanor keeps everyone focused on the tasks at hand.

Marlyne Barrett’s health issues had previously been written into the series

In 2022, she was diagnosed with uterine and ovarian cancer. Variety reports that she underwent 30 rounds of chemotherapy and a hysterectomy for the cancer to go into remission.

Her cancer journey was written into the series, with Maggie undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer during Chicago Med‘s fifth season. As she told People in 2022, Barrett’s cast members and crew provided her with extra support, with some even shaving their heads in solidarity.

“[W]ork brings me a lot of joy right now,” she said at the time. “It brings me a lot of reprieve to think about something other than, ‘When is my next chemo shift?’ and ‘How am ai going to hug my children?'”

Will Marlyne Barrett return to ‘Chicago Med’

Barrett’s exit is intended to be temporary, per Deadline sources, with Nellie Andreeva writing, “This is envisioned as a temporary leave, and the hope is for her to return at some point, I hear.”

When does ‘Chicago Med’s Season 11 premiere?

Chicago Med‘s 11th season will premiere this October on NBC.

Marlyne Barrett

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