Why Torrey DeVitto's Dr. Natalie Manning Left Chicago Med

Back in 2021, Torrey DeVitto left "Chicago Med" alongside fellow star Yaya DaCosta, who played April Sexton on the medical drama. In DaCosta's case, the promise of another show prompted her exit, and a similar thing happened for DeVitto, whose contract had expired by the end of season 6, allowing her to move on to other work. However, the actor would be back a couple more times following her initial exit from the series.

Aside from the swiftly-cancelled "Chicago Justice," the One Chicago universe has been a big hit for NBC, spawning multiple successful shows that have run for a combined total of 39 seasons and 749 episodes. The longest-running is, of course, "Chicago Fire" — the show that started it all. But even the most-recent of all the series, "Chicago Med," has now run for 11 seasons, proving Dick Wolf's franchise has some serious staying power. With any long-running show, however, there's always going to be cast turnover, and "Chicago Med" has certainly seen its share of that.

One of the original stars, Torrey DeVitto eventually left the show after season 6, meaning fans had to say goodbye to Dr. Natalie Manning. The ED Pediatrics Fellow who eventually became an attending doctor in the emergency pediatrics division was an integral part of the spin-off series' success, but as any fan of the Chicago saga knows, even the apparent series mainstays can depart at a moment's notice. The One Chicago franchise has prompted some real-world drama in that regard, but thankfully for DeVitto, her exit was simply a matter of moving on to other projects after her "Chicago Med" contract was up.

Fans of the One Chicago universe have gotten used to saying goodbye to beloved characters. In 2025, for example, Daniel Kyri's Darren Ritter and Jack Lockett's Sam Carver left "Chicago Fire." Torrey DeVitto's "Chicago Med" exit was particularly hard to take given she was there from the beginning and seemed to be in it for the long haul.

At the start of "Chicago Med," Dr. Natalie Manning is introduced as a widow whose husband was killed while on active duty with the U.S. military. She soon established herself as a compassionate and dedicated doctor, particularly when it came to treating women and children. By the time season 6 rolled around, however, Manning was forced to compromise her ethics when she stole a drug to treat her mother's worsening medical condition. In the season 6 finale, "I Will Come to Save You," the longtime "Chicago Med" mainstay departed the series after Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) fired her from Gaffney Medical Center due to the drug theft. We then saw her in the season 7 premiere, "You Can't Always Trust What You See," as she packed up and left for Seattle.

DeVitto has returned to "Chicago Med" for brief guest spots, including a quick cameo in the season 8 finale and two episodes of season 11. Otherwise, Dr. Natalie Manning has become yet another One Chicago casualty. Why? Well, according to Deadline, it was as simple as DeVitto joining the cast of an indie film called "Skelly" and the fact the contracts for the show's original cast all ended after season 6, making it the ideal time for her to leave.

At the time of her departure from "Chicago Med," Torrey DeVitto posted on Instagram and seemed to confirm there was no bad blood between her and the producers. "All good things must come to an end," she wrote. "It has been such an honor and pure joy to bring Dr. Natalie Manning to life for all of you on Chicago Med for the past 6 seasons. But it is now time for her and me to bow out and say goodbye."

Soon after, then-showrunners Andrew Schneider and Diane Frolov spoke to TVLine, where Schneider reassured fans that Natalie Manning's "career is not damaged" following her drug theft debacle and that "She is going to be fine." At the time, Schneider suggested there might be more to come from Manning in the future, saying, "Hey, who knows? She's alive! She's well! Who knows? We're only in season 7!" Of course, DeVitto did return to the show for season 8, telling People she did so because she "did not feel like Natalie and [former boyfriend Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss)] got the ending that they deserved at all." The actor added, "I had no intentions of going back to the show. I feel like I had done my time and I loved so many people there and had such a great experience, but there was nothing in my head that was like, 'Oh, I hope to come back.'"

But DeVitto couldn't stay away, returning again in the 11th season for two episodes. Otherwise, the actor has appeared in a handful of films and TV series since her season 6 departure, but has mostly been focused on her family life after giving birth to a daughter in 2024.