‘Stranger Things’ Star Jennifer Marshall Says She Was Surprised Not to Be Asked Back for Season 5, Notes It Came After Cancer Diagnosis

“Stranger Things” actress Jennifer Marshall, who played Max’s mother Susan Hargrove in Seasons 2 and 4 of the hit Netflix series, has posted via social media about not appearing in the show’s final season — and how the decision came as she was diagnosed with cancer.

Season 4 ended with Max (Sadie Sink) in a coma at the hospital, where that character also spent much of Season 5. But while Max’s boyfriend Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) kept a vigil by her side, Susan — despite being Max’s mother — was nowhere to be seen.

In her post, Marshall noted her disappointment that she wasn’t in Season 5, especially since it would have helped her with health insurance.

“I had cancer, I get it,” Marshall wrote on social media. “But I was in remission during the shooting of Season 5. Shooting would have helped me obtain my health insurance through the union. Maybe they had too many characters, idk but obv Susan Hargrove is THE WORST MOTHER EVER LMAO. #strangerthings #strangerthings5 #cancer #cancersucks #butwhy.”

Marshall told Variety that the post was not meant to be mean-spirited, but rather in jest, noting that with Susan missing, it’s clear the character is just not that great of a mom.

“I just made the reel as a funny thing and it blew up,” Marshall wrote in an email to Variety. “I hold no ill will toward anyone and just wish things would have gone a different way. I was surprised to not be called back but cannot confirm why that decision was made. Regardless, I am grateful for the opportunity to be in the previous seasons.”

Earlier, as the “Stranger Things” finale dropped on New Year’s Eve, Marshall wrote another post on Instagram: “Okay folks! It’s over…but where was she? What kind of mother isn’t there for her child while she’s in the hospital? Give me all your theories…”

Marshall revealed her cancer diagnosis in a personal Facebook post in 2022. She noted at the time that she was being treated for cancer while filming Season 4 of “Stranger Things,” and that by the fourth episode, she required a wig due to her hair coming out.

“I confided in certain people on set, including Sadie, who plays my daughter, Max. Her kindness and compassion overwhelmed me and I’m forever thankful for those moments we shared behind the scenes,” she wrote then. “She’s an incredible talent, but more importantly, a caring and kind human being. At the end of the shoot, I asked if I could speak to Matt and Ross [Duffer, the show creators] alone and explained to them what was going on. They looked alarmed and asked how I was. I confessed I had shot those episodes while undergoing treatment but that they were some of the brightest days I had had given all that was going on. I told them that eventually, I would be public about my diagnosis. That I wanted to influence others to get checked so that no one ever had to go through what I did. I asked them to please not write me out due to kindness or concern about my health because the days spent on set were such a bright light in an otherwise dark and depressing time. They expressed their concern, offered their well wishes and urged me to contact them if I needed anything. Such lovely people I’m thrilled to know and have worked under.”

Marshall’s other credits include “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf,” “Sugar,” “For All Mankind,” “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “Reacher,” as well as host of The CW’s “Mysteries Decoded.”