Walker has only just returned to The CW with its second season premiere, and now the show is already losing a major star from the series. Fans don’t have to worry that Jared Padalecki is leaving his role as Cordell Walker, but the same can’t be said for Walker’s female lead. Lindsey Morgan is leaving Walker after just one full season, and the actress has explained why.
Lindsey Morgan, who had already spent the better part of a decade on The CW thanks to The 100 before joining Jared Padalecki on Walker, made the decision to leave the series and approached the production team at Walker about wanting to leave, and she reportedly had the support of executive producers, showrunner Anna Fricke, EP and star Jared Padalecki, and CW and CBS Studios. In a statement regarding the decision, Morgan told Deadline:
After much thoughtful consideration and introspection, I have made the incredibly difficult decision to step away from my role as Micki Ramirez on Walker for personal reasons, and I am eternally grateful to have the support of the producers, CBS Studios and The CW in allowing me to do so. The opportunity to play Micki has truly been a blessing as has working alongside the incredible cast and crew of this terrific series. Please know that I will continue to root for my TV family and wish them all the best.
The actress didn’t go into detail about why she decided to leave Walker beyond “personal reasons,” but it’s clear that this wasn’t a rash decision that she made at a moment’s notice. Her statement also doesn’t give the impression of any bad blood behind the scenes that fueled her choice to leave, or any dislike of her role as Micki or the show itself. Lindsey Morgan’s departure from Walker will break her CW streak, as she appeared in all seven seasons of The 100 before jumping from the end of that show to starring in Walker.
That said, fans don’t have to worry that they’ve already seen the last of Lindsey Morgan as Micki and she’ll be gone after appearing in the long-awaited Season 2 premiere. She’ll reportedly appear in several episodes of the second season, and there is no set date at the time of writing of when her actual final episode will be. There is also the potential for Morgan to return as a guest star, even though Morgan herself didn’t say as much in her own statement. In a joint statement regarding her departure, The CW and CBS Studios said:
We respect and support Lindsey Morgan’s decision to step away from her role as a series regular on Walker and wish her only the best. She is a tremendously talented actress who will certainly be missed, and we will, of course, leave the door open for ‘Micki’ to return.
The network and the studio leaving the door open for Lindsey Morgan to reprise her role as Micki on Walker at least indicates that Micki isn’t going to be killed off to write Morgan out! The second season began with Micki in a new undercover set of circumstances, so it’s possible that her undercover work will provide the outlet for the actress to exit without Walker writing her out in any kind of way that the show couldn’t come back from.
Of course, this is a show that does use flashbacks – just look at Genevieve Padalecki’s appearances – but Walker flashing back to Micki doesn’t seem like the most likely avenue. Find out what Walker has planned for Lindsey Morgan’s Micki in her final run of episodes on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW in the fall TV lineup.
