Jennifer Marshall, known for her role as Susan Mayfield, Max's mother in the Netflix hit Stranger Things, has expressed surprise at not being called back for the show's final series.
Despite appearing in seasons two and four, Marshall was conspicuously absent from the latest season. Throughout the fifth series, while Max's boyfriend Lucas Sinclair (played by Caleb McLaughlin) remained by her side during her hospitalisation, Susan was nowhere to be found.
As the finale of Stranger Things aired on New Year's Day, Marshall humorously queried her character's absence on Instagram, asking: "Okay folks! It's over...but where was she [Susan]?""What kind of mother isn't there for her child while she's in the hospital? Give me all your theories.."
However, it was a subsequent post that really sparked fans' interest. Marshall, who had previously disclosed her cancer diagnosis during the filming of season four, addressed her non-inclusion in the final series.
Marshall stated: "I had cancer, I get it. But I was in remission during the shooting of season five", reports the Mirror.
"Shooting would have helped me obtain my health insurance through the union.
"Maybe they had too many characters, Idk but obvs Susan Hargrove is THE WORST MOTHER EVER LMAO", followed by a string of hashtags including "cancer sucks".
Marshall, whose acting credits also include The Terminal List: Dark Wolf and Sugar, announced her battle with Stage 3 melanoma in a Facebook post in 2022.
She informed her followers that she was undergoing treatment for cancer during the filming of Stranger Things season four and had to start wearing a wig as her hair was falling out.
The star penned: "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."
Since fans have been responding to her post about not being asked back for Stranger Things season five, Marshall has clarified that the post wasn't meant to be taken in a negative light.Speaking candidly to Variety, Marshall stated: "I just made the reel as a funny thing and it blew up.