Why did Shaunette Renée Wilson (Mina) leave The Resident after season 4?

The complete six seasons of The Resident are available to stream on Netflix, and we're seeing a lot of questions regarding the medical drama series. One question in particular involves one of the main characters. People are wondering why the beloved character, Mina Okafor, doesn't show up anymore after the fourth season. Well, it's because the actress behind the character, Shaunette Renée Wilson, left the series. We shared everything we know about her departure below.

Shaunette Renée Wilson portrayed the role of Dr. Mina Okafor for the first four seasons. Mina was a highly intelligent yet egotistical Nigerian-born surgeon who worked at the fictional Chastain Park Memorial Hospital. Her self-centered ways intrigued fellow surgeon AJ (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), and over the seasons, we watched her and him have this will-they-won't-they type of relationship. We finally see them get together in the season 4 premiere, but everything comes crashing down further in the season when Dr. Cain (Morris Chestnut) tries to get Mina deported after realizing that she's willing to testify against him in a medical malpractice suit.

With her medical career in jeopardy and her visa expiring, Mina chooses to return to her home country of Nigeria on her own accord. That way, she could possibly return to the U.S. in the future. Although AJ was planning on leaving with her, he's stopped from going when he finds out his mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. In season 4 episode 10 titled "Into the Unknown," the hospital throws Mina a goodbye party before she heads to her taxi routed for the airport. But before she gets in the taxi, she shares one last sweet moment with AJ. This is the last time we see Mina in The Resident.

So, what was the reason behind Shaunette Renée Wilson's exit from The Resident? Was this a decision made by the show's creative team or was it Shaunette's decision? Well, it was the actress's decision to leave the medical drama. She felt like her time on the show was up, and she was ready to move on.

The same day her final episode of The Resident aired, Shaunette took to X to share with her fans that she had officially departed the series. The X post is dated April 20, 2021.

In an April 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, series executive producer Andrew Chapman had only nice things to say about Shaunette and expressed that she's always welcome to come back.

"We're all completely heartbroken. We did not want her to leave. She was so foundational to the DNA of the show. She was always so badass and a truth-teller. We are devastated to lose her, but we have told her the door is always open for her here. There's no ill will at all."

- Andrew Chapman

Chapman also spoke about how the show's creative team already knew that she was leaving from the beginning of the fourth season. They just needed to come up with way to write her out of the show. The end result was having Mina leave the U.S. to continue her work back in her homeland.

What are your thoughts on Shaunette Renée Wilson's exit from The Resident?