Before Chicago Med season 11 began airing, it was announced that Nick Gehlfuss would be returning to the show. One of the medical drama's original stars making a comeback was a huge deal that could have inspired a great storyline involving one of the series' current characters. As fun as it was for fans to theorize about Gehlfuss' return as Dr. Will Halstead, most viewers didn't expect Torrey DeVitto to return alongside him as Dr. Natalie Manning.
In the aftermath of DeVitto and Gehlfuss' returns, fans were mainly talking about two things. First off, viewers were interested in which other Chicago Med characters should return, like Will and Natalie did. Secondly, fans wanted to know if they were going to see more of Gehlfuss and DeVitto's characters. Sadly, however, it appears that the two original Chicago Med characters are gone again.
Torrey DeVitto says Natalie’s Chicago Med story finally has 'better closure'
During the second episode of Chicago Med season 11, fans saw the return of Nick Gehlfuss as Dr. Will Halstead. While his return had previously been announced, fans didn't know to expect that Torrey DeVitto would also be returning as Dr. Natalie Manning during the same episode. Between that episode and the next one, fans saw Natalie's son from a past relationship agree to be adopted by Will, and they learned the couple was expecting a baby together.
During the fourth and fifth episodes of Chicago Med season 11, Natalie and Will were completely absent. That left fans wondering if the characters would be seen again, or if that was the end of their return to the show. While the status of their characters hasn't been confirmed by anyone involved in the show, it seems like they are gone again, at least for now. The reason that appears to be the case is based on comments that DeVitto recently made about her Chicago Med return.
After Chicago Med season 11, episode 3 aired, DeVitto was interviewed by TV Insider in October 2025. During that conversation, DeVitto was asked if she was open to returning to Chicago Med again in the future, which certainly implied that her comeback was over. In response, DeVitto confirmed that she was open to appearing on the show again. "It’s like a home away from home and having as much fun as I just did, being back now, I would always be open to coming back."
While that part of her conversation with TV Insider seemed like enough of an indication that Natalie's return was over, what happened next seems much more definitive. During the interview, DeVitto was asked how she felt "about where the show left Natalie this time?" Instead of disputing the idea that her return was over, DeVitto spoke about being happy with her character's exit this time.
"I feel good about it. I think people are going to feel good about it. I personally felt like there was a lot of open holes when I left the first time. I don’t think it was all wrapped up, but I feel like there’s better closure to it now."
Based on her comments during that conversation, it seems extremely likely that DeVitto won't appear during the remainder of Chicago Med season 11. With that in mind, it also seems very hard to imagine that Gehlfuss will be back based on how his return was handled.
Throughout Chicago Med season 11 episodes 2 and 3, the storyline involving Gehlfuss focused on Will's concerns about his relationships with Natalie and his soon-to-be adopted son. Despite all three of them feeling concerns and fears before the arrival of their new family member, their characters came together following a medical emergency. If Will shows up later during season 11 without Natalie, that would feel like a huge step back for his character, especially given the pending arrival of their baby. With that in mind, it seems relatively safe to assume that Will's return is over for now, since Natalie's seems to be.