‘The Walking Dead’ Stars React To Lauren Cohan’s Potential Exit

There’s a chance that Lauren Cohan may be done with The Walking Dead after Season 8. The actress, who plays Maggie on the show, has not signed a contract for Season 9 and recently agreed to play the lead on ABC’s new series Whiskey Cavalier. With Cohan’s future up in the air, her Walking Dead co-stars are officially chiming in on her potential exit.

According to TV Guide, there’s still a chance that Cohan will reach an agreement with Walking Dead producers and continue playing Maggie for a few more years. There’s also the possibility that Whiskey Cavalier doesn’t get picked up, leaving Cohan without a big role if she exits The Walking Dead.

Either way, Cohan’s co-star, Seth Gilliam, recently shared his thoughts on the issue and revealed that he’s happy with whatever Cohan decides.

“I think she’s a fantastic actress,” Gilliam, who plays Father Gabriel Stokes, stated. “I think it would be a loss for the show, but the show seems to find a way to go on [after] losing important characters and fantastic actors all throughout the years.”

Gilliam has not spoken to Cohan about her future on the show. If Gilliam’s character makes it out of Season 8 alive, then he’s looking forward to teaming up with Cohan for another year.

But given how there’s a huge war in the works between Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), nobody’s safety is guaranteed.

Cohan has played Maggie since Season 2 of The Walking Dead and has become an important part of the story. Her character is alive and well in the comics, so it’s unlikely that producers will kill her off by the Season 8 finale. In fact, Cohan was expected to return to the series for at least one more year if not for the contract disputes.

The actress is reportedly seeking a bump in salary that is comparable to her male co-stars, including Lincoln and Norman Reedus. Cohan doesn’t want to be paid the same as Reedus and Lincoln, but she believes she deserves a bigger salary, especially given her character’s growth over the past few years.

Cohan’s people have been in negotiations with AMC for months and yet the two sides cannot agree on a new salary amount. This is one reason why Cohan felt the need to sign on to ABC’s new pilot, Whiskey Cavalier, though the future of that series remains unknown.

Whiskey Cavalier follows FBI agent Will Chase (Scott Foley), who teams up with CIA agent Francesca “Frankie” Trowbridge (Cohan) to save the world. The series follows the duo as they tackle different missions and deal with issues of romance, friendship, and office life.

The show is written by Dave Hemingson and directed by Peter Atencio. In addition to starring on the series, Foley is acting as a producer.

Cohan has not commented on The Walking Dead rumors.

The Walking Dead returns to AMC Sunday night.