Alexis Bledel will not be returning to The Handmaid’s Tale for season five.

The actress, who has portrayed Emily in the Hulu drama since 2017, has decided not to return to the series.

“After much thought, I felt I had to step away from The Handmaid’s Tale at this time,” she said in a statement to Variety. “I am forever grateful to (show creator) Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the cast and crew for their support.”

During the finale of season four of The Handmaid’s Tale, Alexis’s character agreed to join protagonist June (Elizabeth Moss) in taking down Gilead, the totalitarian regime originally imagined by Margaret Atwood in her 1985 futuristic dystopian novel of the same name.

It’s unclear how writers will address the star’s absence in the upcoming season.

– Cover Media