Chicago Med season 8: Will Kristen Hager return as Stevie Hammer?

Dr. Stevie Hammer (Kristen Hager) is a character who always seemed to have more going on under the surface. She internalized a lot of her anxieties and was committed to doing her job quietly and professionally in Chicago Med.

Part of the intrigue, of course, was seeing Hammer peel back her layers of armor and open up to the other characters, particularly Dr. Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss). It seems like there’s a lot we don’t know about her, which has led many fans to question whether we will get to see more.

Here’s what you need to know about Hammer’s future with the show.

Is Kristen Hager returning to Chicago Med?

Hammer left the show halfway through season 7. The character had made peace with her mother (Bonita Friedericy) and resolved some of the issues that drew her back to Chicago, so she decided to leave the city in an effort to start a new chapter in her life.

This was the onscreen reasoning. The offscreen reason was that Kristen Hager became pregnant with her first child, and decided that she wanted to leave Med to focus on said pregnancy. Hager made the announcement on social media, and exited the show soon after.

While its fully understandable why Hager would want to leave the show, it does seem like her exit forced the hand of the writers. They were setting Hammer up as a romantic and dramatic foil to Dr. Halstead, much in the way that Dr. Manning (Torrey DeVitto) had been before her.

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It makes sense that the resolution of Hammer’s arc and her character as a whole were wrapped up in what felt like record time because the writers had to figure out a way to say goodbye to her within a limited time frame. Not only that, but they had to make room for the next character to step into the main cast, Dr. Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram).

All things considered, Hammer is not going to be coming back for Chicago Med season 8. While its possible that the character could be mentioned by name, a full blown cameo is unlikely because she didn’t have enough time or unresolved storylines to warrant it.

We enjoyed her while she was here, but her tenure has come to an end.

For the latest spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Med category at One Chicago Center.