There's some unfortunate news to share out of Gaffney Medical Center with One Chicago fans, and it involves one of the last remaining original Chicago Med cast members leaving the show ahead of season 11.
According to Deadline, Marlyn Barrett will be taking a step back from Chicago Med season 11 as her ER charge nurse character Maggie Lockwood. The outlet reports that Barrett's leave of absence from the show is for personal reasons and isn't expected to be permanent. While no further information was provided about how long she will be out or when she'll return, it's hopeful that she'll be back, though that prospect has not been determined at the time of her exit after 10 years.
Barrett's one of three original cast members who have been with Chicago Med since season 1 along with S. Epatha Merkerson as hospital administrator Sharon Goodwin and Oliver Platt as chief of psychiatry Dr. Daniel Charles. The series has had quite the revolving door of cast members before seemingly stabilizing with seasons 10 and 11, though Barrett's temporary departure will be felt.
Marlyne Barrett temporarily leaving Chicago Med season 11
As previously mentioned, since Deadline couldn't share the specifics behind Barrett's leave of absence from the show, it's unclear if Maggie will be absent for the full season or if she will appear in a handful of episodes in the beginning of season 11. Either way, we will definitely miss Barrett's talent on our screens and the special brand of heart Maggie brings to the series.
While Maggie battled cancer in Chicago Med season 5, Barrett fought her own battle with cancer in 2022 when she revealed her uterine and ovarian cancer diagnosis. She underwent chemotherapy and a hysterectomy before announcing that her cancer was in remission in September 2024. Barrett hasn't shared the reason behind her temporary exit from the series ahead of season 11.
Even though we will be missing both Barrett and Maggie in season 11, Chicago Med has charted a comeback of another fan-favorite original cast member that's been a long time coming. Earlier this week, Nick Gelhfuss was confirmed to be returning to reprise his role as Dr. Will Halstead as a guest star in season 11. Dr. Halstead returns to Gaffney for the first time since leaving the series after season 8 to reunite with Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto) in Seattle.
Hopefully, there will be more exciting casting announcements to come for Chicago Med season 11 leading up to the premiere this fall. When we last left Gaffney, Lenox (Sarah Ramos) was left reeling from a shocking diagnosis, while Asher (Jessy Schram) reeled from her own life-changing news that took her to Archer's (Steven Weber) door, not Ripley's (Luke Mitchell). Maggie's storyline was mostly wrapped up, but she will be greatly missed and eagerly awaited to return.
Chicago Med season 11 premieres Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. on NBC.