NBC’s Chicago Med is saying goodbye to Asjha Cooper, who played Dr. Vanessa Taylor for two seasons.
Vanessa arrived at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center in search of a job opportunity but she found much more. Mainly, she reconnected with her birth mother Maggie Lockwood (Marlyne Barrett), whom she told in tonight’s episode about her plans to take a new job in the Philippines. She’s found her calling.
When viewers last saw Vanessa, she and Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) were busted for buying drugs that were in short supply at the hospital illegally. This season, Chicago Med has been struggling with low supplies, and desperate times call for desperate measures. With their hearts in the right place, the duo avoided harsher punishment but helped shed light on the lengths they were willing to go for their patients. Lesson learned.
Cooper’s small-screen mom Barrett shared her feelings about her departure via Twitter.
“She’s going! A New Journey Begins! Will miss this one!”
Cooper is the latest announced series exit following Sarah Rafferty, Kristen Hager and Guy Lockard. Deadline confirmed exclusively in October that original cast member Brian Tee, who played Dr. Ethan Choi across the show’s eight seasons, would also depart.
Chicago Med airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. on NBC.
