All the Characters Who’ve Left Chicago Med Over the Years
Paging One Chicago fans! Since Chicago Med premiered almost a decade ago, there have been dozens of doctors, nurses, patients and characters who have come and gone through the doors of Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. But who’s left Chicago Med and why did they leave? We break down the most shocking exits ahead.
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. The series — which premiered in 2015 and is created by Dick Wolf, the same mind behind the Law & Order and FBI franchises — is the third spin-off in NBC’s One Chicago franchise, which also includes Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D.
At a press event in 2015, Wolf explained how Chicago Med is differrent than P.D. and Fire. “This is different than when we did that,” he said via the Observer. “People don’t remember that Law & Order had been on for nine years before we launched SVU and then Criminal Intent. So this is happening a lot faster.”
Chicago Med showrunner Diane Frolov continued, “Dick said that he wanted to do a show that was smart and dealt that with medical issues and ethical issues with strong characters and that’s something that we love to do, so we were onboard right away.” Showrunner Andrew Schneider continued, “When you’re in a hospital situation the stakes are already very high. There‘s this confluence of emotional stories already inherent that have political, financial, and moral ramifications. The delivery of medicine itself is a very complex thing so we knew there was a lot to mine from this setting.”
After more than a decade on television, Chicago Med has become a mainstay in the One Chicago franchise. But who’s left Chicago Med over the years? Read on for the most dramatic exits we’re still not over.
Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) — Seasons 1 – 8
Nick Gehlfuss starred as Dr. Will Halstead, a supervising attending physician at Gaffney’s emergency department, from Seasons 1 to 8 of Chicago Med. He left in Season 8, Episode 22, “Does One Door Close and Another One Open?” which sees him resign from Gaffney after his issues with O.R. 2.0 (a high-tech surgical operating room), and move from Chicago to Seattle to be with his ex-fiance, Dr. Natalie Manning, who left in Season 7, and her son, Owen, whom she shared with her late husband, Jeff Manning.
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. “I think that comes down to a creative part of you, or the energy or spirit you have that you’re either built for a very long time with one person or not. I am attracted to the profession for the variety in it, and eight years is a long time. It’s two college degrees! I’m joking now that I basically have a doctorate in television.”
Gehlfuss also explained his “difficult decision” to leave Chicago Med in an interview with TV Line at the time. “It was a difficult decision, but I felt, maybe like a few months ago, that I was getting to the point of taking Dr. Halstead as far as I could go with him,” he said. “A difficult decision because, of course, I have for the last eight years grown with a fantastic group of people, and they have become a family, they really have. We use that word a lot, but it’s the only one that makes sense, and it’s also a community of artists.”
He continued, “And so, I’ve laid roots in this town. Chicago was never on my radar, and it’s become home. So it’s difficult to think about leaving something that’s so comfortable… [When] an actor gets involved in this profession, we’re attracted by the variety, and eight years is a long time with one character, and I felt as if I went as far as I could go with him, and that was that, really.”
Gehlfuss also revealed that he let the writers of Chicago Med decide how they wanted to write off his character, though he preferred for his character to live so he could return in the future. “I called [executive producer] Dick Wolf first and then I ended up talking with [executive producer] Peter Jankowski and Andy and Diane, and they asked me if I had any ideas, and I did not have anything,” he said. “I said, ‘Whatever makes most sense for you guys. I would like to preserve the possibility of coming back for important events or in whatever capacity makes sense,’ and they all felt like that was appropriate.”
He continued, “So the idea to kill Will off or go out in a blaze of glory, as Peter Jankowski joked around about, was not something we were going to do. This universe has become so big, and these shows are going to go on for a long time, and who knows what would make sense in the future. We all wanted to preserve that possibility, and I was happy that they were on the same page with that.”
Dr. Ethan Choi (Brian Tee) — Seasons 1 – 8
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. Ethan left Chicago Med in Season 8, Episode 9, “This Could Be the Start of Something New,” which sees him resign from Gaffney to open a mobile medical clinic for underserved communities with wife, April Sexton.
“I think Choi wanted more. I think he needed to help the people he felt needed him the most,” Tee told NBC Insider in April 2023. “I think he loved Chicago Med, but he had a higher purpose in the sense of really trying to heal a city that is wounded. Especially in the inner cities, especially those that, you know, may be struggling either financially or situationally.” He continued, “I think he [Choi], being from Chicago, has this urgency to want to help and heal, especially those that need him the most. And I think that’s why he chose this particular path and why he left Chicago Med.”
Tee, who has returned to Chicago Med to direct episodes, also told NBC Insider that his door is “always open” for him to come back as Ethan. “I leave the door always open. Chicago Med has been an incredible experience and ride for myself personally. And I’ve made some wonderful friends that I hold near and dear to my heart,” Tee said. “And going back just to work — not even being in front of the camera — going back to work, and seeing and working with the cast and crew would just be a joy to do.”
He continued, “So as far as story, and what it would take, it’s hard to say because my heart will still always be on that set with the people that I’ve worked with. So in that context, you know, if there ever is an opportunity to come back and again, play with my friends, I absolutely would probably jump at the opportunity.”
In a statement to Deadline in October 2022, Tee called playing Ethan a “gift and a blessing.” “Playing Dr. Ethan Choi on Chicago Med has been such a gift and a blessing. I am forever grateful to our fans and my colleagues both in front of and behind the camera as I embark on a new journey. I am forever indebted to Dick Wolf, NBC, and Universal Television for choosing me,” he said. “What we’ve been planning for Dr. Choi’s sendoff is fitting, and it’s beautiful. I think the fans are going to absolutely love it. It’s going to bring a little bit of the new Ethan and a little bit of the old. Know that episode 9 is going to be an amazing one.”
He also told the magazine what it meant to play an Asian American character on primetime television. “I’ve thought a lot about what Dr. Choi represents. As far as my career path, it was the school of hard knocks for a long time,” he said. “I took what the industry granted me as far as opportunities were concerned. At that time, the box I was allowed to play in around 20-plus years ago, was very limited; it was very stereotypical, and cliche like playing the Asian bad guy archetype. I have nothing against it; I was able to build a career but it never propelled me to a level of which I knew I was capable. Then literally, as I’m playing Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the villain of all Asian villains, my phone rings and it’s my agent asking me if I want to go to Chicago.”
He continued, “Ethan Choi represents to me the first time I’ve actually played a protagonist in such a strong way and he catapulted me into a different arena, one where I feel the perception of not only myself but Asian Americans had been changed. Just having an Asian face as a leading man was a stepping stone if not the ladder.”
Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey Devitto) — Seasons 1 – 7
Torrey DeVitto played Dr. Natalie Manning, a pediatrician at Gaffney’s emergency department, from Seasons 1 to 7 of Chicago Med. She left in Season 7, Episode 1, “You Can’t Always Trust What You See” after she was fired from Gaffney for stealing pharmaceutical drugs for her sick mother, Carol Conte, and leaves Chicago to move to her hometown of Seattle with her son, Owen, whom she shared with her late husband, Jeff Manning. She returned to Chicago Med in Season 8, Episode 22, “Does One Door Close and Another One Open?” in which she reunited with her ex-fiance, Will Halstead, after he resigns from Gaffney.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in May 2023, 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. But it was always one of those things where I knew that if they asked me back, I would enjoy going back,” she said. “Because, I mean, I love my cast so much. And especially, you know, Nick Gehlfuss and I had such an intense storyline together for six years. I wasn’t expecting this call at all, but when they did call me and told me what the premise of the storyline was going to be, and that I would be coming back to support Nick and his journey on his way out, it was just a no-brainer for me.”
She continued, “I do feel like the fans never got what they wanted with Natalie and Will, and to be honest with you, Nick and I never even got the ending that we felt we deserved for our two characters. To be able to come back and give that to not just the viewers that love the show so much and really rooted for these characters, but also to give it to me and Nick, who really wanted this ending for our characters was really so beautiful. He’s like a brother to me, so to be able to come back and support him in this way was just so much fun.”
DeVitto also told The Hollywood Reporter about how natural it was to play Natalie again after almost two years away from the character. “She’s a character that is more like me than any other character I’ve ever played,” she said. “And because Nick and I have such great chemistry as actors together, and we have such a friendship, it honestly felt like stepping into a pair of shoes that still fit perfectly. It was so great seeing the crew.”
She continued, “When I got out of the van [after arriving on set], everybody started clapping, which I got a little flushed about [Laughs.], but it felt like coming home. It felt like coming home to somewhere I lived for so long. And it was really beautiful. It was short and sweet, and then I was out and on my way again.”
April Sexton (Yaya DaCosta) — Seasons 1 – 8
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, Episode 16, “I Will Come to Save You” after she’s accepted into a nurse practitioners program and resigns from Gaffney. She returns as a recurring character in Chicago Med Season 8 as she marries her now-husband, Dr. Ethan Choi.
At a Television Critics Association panel in 2021, DaCosta explained that she left Chicago Med after she was offered the lead role in FOX’s drama Our Kind of People, which was cancelled after one season. “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 said. “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.”
She continued, “The show is a dream in so many ways and it’s saucy and so much fun! And there’s so much about my character that I felt was really important to bring to the forefront of our discussions. We’re just playing with these serious themes and we’re making them fun.”
Dr. Ava Bekker (Norma Kuhling) — Seasons 2 – 5
Norma Luhling starred as Dr. Ava Bekker, a trauma surgeon at Gaffney’s emergency department, from Seasons 3 to 5 of Chicago Med. She left in Season 5, Episode 1, “Never Going Back to Normal,” after she committed suicide following the death of her ex-boyfriend Connor Rhodes’ father, Cornelius Rhodes, whom she murdered as a way to win back Connor.
“Thank you Chicago Med for two amazing years! Really going to miss this family, but feeling nothing but gratitude. A huge thank you to @nbc and @dickwolf for bringing me on board, to the best cast and crew imaginable, and finally to the fans for making these shows what they are. Can’t wait to cheer #OneChicago on in its future seasons with you!” Kuhling captioned an Instagram post after her last episode on Chicago Med.
