Is Maggie Lockwood leaving Chicago Med?

Maggie Lockwood (Marlyne Barrett) has had an emotionally taxing season on Chicago Med. Not only was the character involved in a car accident, but she was watched as her daughter, Vanessa (Asjha Cooper), decided to leave Gaffney Medical Center to pursue a different career path.

That’s not even mentioning the fact that Gaffney has changed ownership and is now a for-profit hospital. Maggie is one of the many employees who’s dismayed by the decision, and she’s even admitted to looking at other hospitals for work.

Is Maggie looking to move on from Chicago Med before next season? Let’s discuss.

Is Marlyne Barrett leaving Chicago Med in season 8?

The biggest reason Maggie’s status could be up in the air is the personal life of the actress who plays her. Marlyne Barrett has been very open about being diagnosed with Uterine and Ovarian cancer, and the difficulties that have accompanied them.

It makes sense that the Chicago Med writers would want to give Barrett some breathing room if necessary, and concoct a way to get her character off the show for a little bit so she can focus on her chemotherapy treatments.

Fortunately, Barrett has not let the treatments slow her professional life, and by all accounts it seems as though she’s going to be part of Chicago Med for the indefinite future. The actress shed light on the ways in which her approach to shooting has changed during an interview with People.

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“I start an hour earlier to get my bearings before I start my day”, Barrett revealed. “Because of the mass, my mid-range is a different size, so the costume department does an incredible job.”

Furthermore, Barrett made it clear that she will continue to play Maggie for as long as her health (and the Med writers allow). “Work brings me a lot of joy right now”, she added. “It brings me a lot of reprieve to think about something other than, ‘When is my next chemo shift?’ and ‘How am I going to hug my children?'”

From a narrative standpoint, we’d be surprised if the writers decided to axe Maggie. For one, Med has already lost several characters in season 8. It’s been a period of change for the show, and it would be wise to hold onto as many beloved characters as possible.

It feels more like Maggie considering other jobs is more of a wake up call for Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) to wrangle back control of Gaffney and get everything back to the way it was. We hope that everybody sticks around, and that the hospital gets back to doing what it does best: helping people.

For the latest Chicago Med season 8 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Med category at One Chicago Center.