What happened to April on Chicago Med?
April Sexton (Yaya DaCosta) has been a mainstay on Chicago Med since the show launched in 2015. Her no-nonsense approach made her easy to root for, and her close friendships with the rest of the ED staff ensured that she was an essential part of the show’s ensemble. All good things must come to an end, however, and the season 7 premiere of Chicago Med had almost no trace of the character.
April’s departure should come as no surprise to Chicago Med fans. Yaya DaCosta made it known that she was not reupping her contract after season 6, but many still hoped that she would make a brief cameo in season 7 to help smooth the transition. The show did exactly that with Dr. Natalie Manning’s character, despite the fact that actress Torrey DeVitto decided to exit as well.
Onscreen sendoffs usually make the character’s departure feel more satisfying, and potentially even hint at a cameo appearance. Sadly, there was no mention of April’s character outside of a brief line of dialogue, and seemingly no plans to wrap up her story in the immediate future.
Why did April leave Chicago Med?
The onscreen reason for April’s departure was introduced in the season 6 finale. The character was accepted into a Nurse Practitioner program that requires her to leave the ED indefinitely, and her lone reference in the season 7 premiere confirms this as the cause of her absence. It remains to be seen whether more information will be given about April’s training program, or if the writers will keep things vague in the event that she returns.
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Chicago Med showrunners Andrew Schneider and Diane Frolov told TV Line that the stability of April made a season 7 cameo less essential than other characters, and even teased the possibility of a return. “She’s off studying to be a nurse practitioner”, Schneider stated. “And she could come back, too.”
The offscreen reason for April’s departure is that actress Yaya DaCosta was given the chance to star in the upcoming Fox series Our Kind of People. DaCosta will play a hair care mogul alongside Morris Chestnut, who also exited a popular show (The Resident) to board the anticipated drama.
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