The star and executive producer of NBC's workplace comedy is exiting the show.
Superstore is losing one of its top employees.
America Ferrera will be leaving NBC's workplace comedy after the end of the fifth season, the network announced Friday. Ferrera, who stars as Cloud 9 manager Amy Sosa and also serves as an executive producer, has been with Superstore since its inception in 2015. Superstore has already been renewed for season six, but Ferrera will not remain on as an EP.
Ferrera, who is currently expecting her second child with husband Ryan Piers Williams, expressed her desire to move on from Superstore as she looks ahead to the "next chapter for [her] family and career." The actress has directed a handful of episodes over the show's five-season run, most recently a Jan. 9 installment titled "Lady Boss."
"The last five years on Superstore have been some of the most rewarding, enriching and enjoyable years of my career. Producing, directing and acting with this wonderful cast and crew has given me opportunities to grow as a person and storyteller," Ferrera said in a statement on Friday. "I’m so grateful to my partners at NBC and Universal Television for the support and belief they have always placed in the show, and I’m most thankful to the brilliant Justin Spitzer for creating the funny, smart and relevant world of Superstore and inviting me to be a part of it. As I start the next chapter for my family and career, I wish only the best, and much continued success, to my beloved Superstore family.”
“America’s immeasurable contributions to Superstore, both in front of and behind the camera as well as an ambassador for the show, can’t possibly be quantified. We feel so fortunate to call her both a colleague and friend," Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta, Co-Presidents of Scripted Programming at NBC Entertainment, said in a joint statement.
Added Pearlena Igbokwe, President of Universal Television, the studio behind Superstore: “America is a force of nature who not only pours her heart and soul into acting and producing on Superstore, but into the many causes and initiatives she supports. Over the last five seasons she has earned our gratitude and respect.”
Ferrera's exit is a bit of a shock to the system as her character is the central focal point of Superstore. With her impending exit later this season, it remains unclear how the series will choose to address her absence creatively in its upcoming sixth year. Ferrera's final episode is slated to air April 16.
In December, the 37-year-old actress, who is also an executive producer on Netflix's recently debuted Gentefied, announced she and Williams were pregnant with baby No. 2 in a heartwarming Instagram post. "Welcoming Baby #2 in 2020! Happy New Year from our wild & growing bunch," she captioned the photo. The pair, who tied the knot in June 2011, welcomed son Sebastian in May 2018.
Superstore airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
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