Noah Wyle finds the speculation around Tracy Ifeachor's The Pitt departure sort of amusing

Despite the rumors, the Dr. Robby actor maintains that Dr. Collins won't return due to plot reasons.

By Drew Gillis  |  July 15, 2025 | 2:21pm
Photograph by John Johnson/HBO
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Noah Wyle finds the speculation around Tracy Ifeachor's The Pitt departure sort of amusing
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Last week, news broke that Tracy Ifeachor, who starred in the first season of HBO Max’s newly Emmy-nominated series The Pitt as Dr. Heather Collins, would not return for season two. The news immediately riled The Pitt‘s vocal online fandom, with some fans quickly expressing dismay that the show had written off the show’s most prominent Black character. Then, almost as quickly, rumors began to circulate that Ifeachor was actually fired because of her membership in an anti-LGBTQ church (allegations “her very gay publicist” denied in a statement to The Mirror over the weekend). However, while he does seem a little tickled by the speculation, Noah Wyle—series executive producer and Dr. Robby himself—maintains that Dr. Collins won’t be in season two purely for plot reasons. 

“I mean, we’ve all been sort of amused at the speculation about what everybody thinks might be a reason,” Wyle told Deadline in remarks published after the Emmy nominations were unveiled today. “But truthfully, we loved the actress. We enjoyed having her with us very much. She’s gotten really big and we will miss her.”

In season one (minor spoiler warning here) Dr. Collins experiences a miscarriage while working, sending her home from her shift early. Beyond that, the character was established as a senior resident during the first season, meaning that there are some pretty clear plot reasons why she might not be around for long. If further speculation amuses you as well, you might be interested to know that a “source” told Us Weekly on Friday that Ifeachor didn’t choose to leave the show, but also added that there aren’t “any doors being closed” on Dr. Collins returning. Sometimes doctors get new jobs—and sometimes they may even return to their old jobs.

 
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