Another big change is coming to Chicago Med in Season 11. Marlyne Barrett, who has portrayed Maggie Lockwood since the medical drama’s inception in 2015, is leaving the show ahead of its fall return.

According to Variety, the shock exit is due to unspecified personal reasons, and it is unknown at this time if she will return later in the season.

Barrett was one of the few remaining series originals on Med, alongside S. Epatha Merkerson as Sharon Goodwin and Oliver Platt as Daniel Charles. Both of those actors are still expected to return to their roles in Season 11.

Maggie, a charge nurse, has been a key part of the Gaffney crew since the beginning of the series and was an integral part of the nurse sick-out storyline of Season 10.

The news comes on the heels of another massive bit of Chicago Med news: Nick Gehlfuss, who played Dr. Will Halstead, will be returning to his role for the new season. TV Insider also exclusively reported that Cassius Hatosy, son of The Pitt star Shawn Hatosy, would be guest-starring in the new season of the One Chicago hit.

Barrett previously opened up about surviving uterine and ovarian cancer, which she was diagnosed with in 2022, in a 2024 interview with People, explaining that she was in “complete remission” after being treated with chemotherapy. She continued to work through her treatment process at the time and credited her Chicago Med costars and the crew with “creating a system of care” for her during the experience.

“I think the initial phone calls with production and the studio to get greenlit to work were some of the most special phone calls that I’ve ever made in my life. It wasn’t just, ‘Hey Marlyne, can you work?’ The question was, ‘How do we support you in this?’ Some of the tenderest questions that I’ve ever been asked by a corporation,” she remembered in the interview.

Chicago Med returns on October 1, leading the One Chicago Wednesday night lineup, which also includes Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D.

Chicago Med, Season 11 Premiere, October 1, 8/7c, NBC