Is Charmaine leaving Virgin River? (Did Lauren Hammersley leave Virgin River?)

When it comes to characters we love to hate, Virgin River doesn’t have many of them but there are a few who have caused their fair share of drama over the course of the show’s seasons. Among them is our favorite queen of chaos: Charmaine.

From the very beginning, Charmaine has been stirring the pot and served as the thorn in Mel and Jack’s side. In season 1, Jack and Charmaine were in a casual relationship which comes to an end shortly after Mel arrives in town. As Jack begins to grow close with Mel, Charmaine attempts to re-insert herself in Jack’s life and sees Mel as an enemy before ever getting to know her.

Eventually, we find out that Charmaine is pregnant and she tells Jack he’s the father which makes things even more messy as the pair must navigate this new dynamic. Jack makes it clear to her that he wants to be in their children’s lives but that there will never be anything romantic between them again,

In season 4, it seems like the pair — as well as Mel and Charmaine — have finally reached a healthy point in their relationship. That is until the season 4 finale when Charmaine reveals that Jack is not the father of her twins and that she’s been lying to him this whole time.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Virgin River season 5! 

As season 5 picks up, Charmaine is forced to deal with the fallout of her lies as Jack tries to come to grips with her shocking confession that he’s not the father of her babies. The storyline is at the heart of the first two episodes of the season as Jack confronts Charmaine about her actions.

In typical Charmaine fashion, she plays the victim card at first trying to compare her actions with how Jack made her feel when he chose Mel. She then tells Jack that the real father is not a good man which is why she lied in the first place, because she knew Jack would be an amazing father.

The two eventually patch things up later in the second episode after Jack has more time to process everything with Jack owning up to his part in their failed relationship and Charmaine offering a genuine apology for her actions.

Did Charmaine leave Virgin River?

Surprisingly, after the events of the second episode of Virgin River season 5, Charmaine seems to go MIA which might lead fans to wonder whether she left the show after dropping the twin truth bomb on Jack. However, you can rest assured in knowing Lauren Hammersley did not leave the cast!

While Charmaine does not appear in most of the fifth season, she does make a surprise return in the season 5 finale in a moment that is sure to keep fans talking for months to come! After disappearing after Episode 2, Charmaine briefly catches up with Doc before she is approached by a not-so-dead Calvin in the parking lot. It’s then that we discover Calvin is the father of her twins!

The moment was one of the biggest cliffhangers from the finale, one which hints that there is a lot of story still left in the pipeline for Charmaine on the show. While she might not be featured in every episode of the season in the way other key members of the cast are, Charmaine isn’t going anywhere and fans should expect more from her when season 5 resumes this fall with its special holiday episodes.

Virgin River is streaming now on Netflix.