Where Are the Chicago Med Alums Now?
Many doctors have scrubbed in and out of Chicago Med since the series first premiered in 2015. While we’re still mourning the exits of some of our favorite medical heroes (we miss you, Will Halstead), there are plenty of other shows the stars can be seen on. Read on to learn where the alums of Chicago Med are now.
Chicago Med is NBC’s medical drama following the personal and professional lives of doctors and nurses in the emergency department of the fictional Gaffney Chicago Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. The series — which was created by Dick Wolf, the same mind behind the Law & Order and FBI franchises — is the third show in NBC’s One Chicago franchise, which also includes Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D.
As devoted One Chicago fans know, no one is safe in the world of Dick Wolf. Several of the show’s fan favorites have exited the series, whether they were killed off or departed to pursue new opportunities. Although their time on the hit drama may have ended, some actors have not slowed since, and several have returned to network TV.
Below, see what the Chicago Med stars who left the show have been up since they left the beloved medical show.
Nick Gehlfuss (Will Halstead)
Chicago Med’s former lead, Nick Gehlfuss, starred on the medical show from Season 1 until his shocking exit in the Season 8 finale. In an interview with Variety in May 2023, Gehlfuss explained that he left Chicago Med because he felt he took Will “as far as” he could go with him. “It was a difficult decision, but ultimately, I felt I’d taken Dr. Halstead as far as I can go with him,” Gehlfuss said.
Because Gehlfuss’ 2023 exit is still fresh, the actor hasn’t appeared in any new TV shows or films since leaving Chicago Med. The actor and his wife, Lilian Matsuda, welcomed one child together at the end of 2021, so we assume that Gehlfuss is spending time with his family and enjoying his personal life after nine years in the spotlight. (The actor’s Instagram page was also wiped clean.)
Brian Tee (Ethan Choi)
Brian Tee starred as Dr. Ethan Choi, the Chief of Emergency Medicine at Gaffney and a former lieutenant commander with the United States Navy Reserve, from Seasons 1 to 8 of Chicago Med. Tee left the procedural in Season 8, which sees his character resign from Gaffney to open a mobile medical clinic for underserved communities with his wife, April Sexton.
Brian Tee is currently starring in Amazon Prime Video’s drama series Expats opposite Nicole Kidman. The show, which premiered on January 26, 2024, is based on Janice Y.K. Lee’s novel, The Expatriates. Brian Tee portrays Clarke, a devoted husband and father, who has no desire to exchange his expat lifestyle for American suburbia until he’s faced with an impossible choice.
“I think it’s some of the most, if not the most, elevated work I’ve ever been a part of, to be completely honest,” Tee told Parade in January. “It’s a human story with human elements that we all can relate to.”
Torrey DeVitto (Natalie Manning)
Torrey DeVitto played Dr. Natalie Manning, a pediatrician at Gaffney’s emergency department, from Seasons 1 to 7 of Chicago Med. DeVitto explained that she left Chicago Med to “move on” and “grow” without Natalie, but she was always open to returning, especially to continue Will and Natalie’s story. “I feel like I left the show on such a good note — it was just time to move on and time to go and time to grow, really,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in May 2023.
DeVitto has been busy working on Hallmark films. Since 2022, she’s starred in the channel’s Rip In Time, Twas the Night Before Christmas, and Love’s Greek to Me. The former Chicago Med star also got engaged last year! In September 2023, her boyfriend, filmmaker Jared LaPine, popped the big question after six months of dating.
“Earlier this month at 5 pm on a weekday while walking the back trails at the farm, still in my PJs and goat boots, he got down on one knee, in what I hoped wasn’t poison ivy, and asked for forever. My answer was obvious,” the actress penned about the special moment on Instagram.
Yaya DaCosta (April Sexton)
Yaya DaCosta starred as April Sexton, a nurse at Gaffney’s emergency department, from Season 1 to 8 of Chicago Med. She left as a series regular in Season 6 after being offered the lead role in FOX’s drama Our Kind of People. The show was canceled after one season in May 2022.
“My exit from Chicago Med and the arrival of this show happened really simultaneously. There isn’t much to say about it. There was a window opening and a question mark as to whether I should stay or go,” she told the Television Critics Association panel in 2021. “And in that window, I fell in love with Our Kind of People and I jumped at the opportunity to work with Lee Daniels again. I first worked with him years ago on The Butler.”
Following Our Kind of People’s cancellation, DaCosta joined the Season 2 cast of Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer in a recurring role. The actress portrays Andrea Freemann, a cut-throat prosecutor and Mickey Haller’s courtroom rival, who is also friends with ex-wife Maggie.
Colin Donnell (Connor Rhodes)
Colin Donnell starred as Dr. Connor Rhodes, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Gaffney, from Seasons 1 to 5 of Chicago Med. His character resigned following the murder of his father, Cornelius Rhodes, and the suicide of his ex-girlfriend, Ava Bekker. “Sorry to say that this is true. I love my #ChicagoMed #OneChicago family dearly. And a special thank you to all the fans that have made these last four seasons so amazing,” Donnell tweeted when his exit was announced by NBC.
Since the actor left Chicago Med, he’s portrayed Mack in the crime drama Irreverent, Tommy Merlyn in The CW’s Arrow, and appeared in the Hallmark films To Catch a Spy and Love on Iceland. Donnell also returned to Broadway in 2023. He starred in the play, The Shark Is Broken, from August 2023 to November 2023. The play told the behind-the-scenes story of the drama that impacted the production of the 1975 movie Jaws. “Opening this play on Broadway is a dream come true,” he wrote on Instagram.
Norma Kuhling (Ava Bekker)
Norma Kuhling portrayed Dr. Ava Bekker, a trauma surgeon at Gaffney’s emergency department, from Seasons 3 to 5 of Chicago Med. She left in Season 5 after her character committed suicide after murdering Connor Rhodes’ father. “Thank you Chicago Med for two amazing years! Really going to miss this family, but feeling nothing but gratitude,” Kuhling captioned an Instagram post after her last episode.
According to her IMDb page, Kuhling has since starred in two short films, Lullaby to Love (2020) and Death Valley (2021). She returned to primetime TV in 2021 after landing the role as Nora Fowler, a tactical medic, on the CBS’s cop drama S.W.A.T.
