The Pitt will look very different for season 2 without Tracy Ifeachor.

Ifeachor, who played Dr. Heather Collins during season 1, has exited the HBO Max series ahead of the show’s second season, Us Weekly can confirm.

HBO Max told Us in a statement on Thursday, July 10, “Dr. Collins is a fourth-year resident at a teaching hospital in season 1 and will not be at the shift in season 2.” (TVLine was first to report the news.)

The shocking news comes one day after Ifeachor, 40, celebrated her time on season 1 via Instagram, hinting at her goodbye.

“What a blessing to be a part of this first and foundational season of #ThePitt on @hbomax,” she captioned a social media video on Wednesday, July 9. “It was an absolute privilege to play Dr. Heather Collins in such a groundbreaking season and piece. Thank you to everyone who has watched & supported Season 1 & shared their stories with me. #TCA Awards #FYC #allthethings 😘.”

Ifeachor’s exit also comes just months after she exclusively told Us what to expect from her character down the line.

“There’s going to be a lot of surprises [in season 2], I’ll just say that,” she shared with Us in May, noting that Collins’ motherhood journey might not continue following her season 1 miscarriage. “But I try to look at it like she is a person who is a representative of women across the nation who are trying to conceive. Many — I would hope all — at some point will conceive and go on to have children. But some won’t.”

Ifeachor explained that moving forward she was focused on Collins journey — no matter what that entailed.

“I feel like whether she does or she doesn’t [have a baby] in the future isn’t necessarily important. It’s that in the moment that we meet her, she’s gone through what so many have — one in four women have miscarriages,” the actress shared. “In this moment, what is important for me is that she will be someone that can help comfort, can help validate, can help strengthen, can help give hope and can help remove that stigma and that blame that a lot of women feel when they go through this tragic thing.”

Throughout season 1, which premiered in January, fans watched a 15-hour shift at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. As the season unfolded, viewers learned that Collins was pregnant via IVF.

Halfway through the day, however, tragedy struck, and Collins lost the baby. She continued to do her job despite her personal heartbreak.

Looking back at the story arc, Ifeachor told Us that the “most important thing” for her was that Collins had the ability to “encourage” others.

“It’s still a miracle [getting pregnant via IVF] and there’s so many women hoping for that. So I hope in this season [2] it won’t be about whether she does or she doesn’t go on to [try IVF or have a baby] again,” she teased. “It’s that in this moment it hasn’t worked out. It’s not her fault.”

While Ifeachor hinted that Collins’ story wasn’t done, she also played coy about her future on the show.

“Listen, there is going to be an amazing cast in season 2 — just as there was in season 1. I’m just going to leave it there,” she told Us in May.

Ifeachor wouldn’t say more, noting, “I’m not a [plot] ruiner. I’m not even going to tell you who is or is not going to come back. I’m just going to say I want you to watch season 2 and just enjoy it as much as you’ve watched season 1. Hopefully there’ll be seasons 3 and 4 and 7.”

While fans won’t be getting more of Dr. Collins next season, there is still plenty to celebrate. Executive producer R. Scott Gemmill previously announced that season 2 will take place over the Fourth of July weekend, following a similar format from season 1.

Gemmill revealed during Deadline’s “Contenders TV” panel in April that the new season will pick up 10 months after the season 1 finale.

Star Noah Wyle, who plays Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, said at the time that the cast plans to keep the show as realistic as possible.

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“We’re calling all pros,” Wyle, 53, explained at the event. “We want people who are good with props and who are used to working in a company, with an ensemble. We want creativity. We want passion. We don’t want ego coming to play. We have tremendous people showing up excited.”

The Pitt also stars Patrick Ball, Taylor Dearden, Katherine LaNasa and Isa Briones.

Season 1 of The Pitt is currently streaming on HBO Max.

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