The Pitt‘s Sepideh Moafi has addressed whether she will return for the show’s third season following several cast departures and rumors of on-set disagreements.
Moafi, 40, who portrays Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi, mentioned to Gold Derby on Thursday, June 11, that her character is expected to make one of several “staggered entrances,” but admitted, “I don’t know anything yet.”
The actress expressed her enthusiasm for the future of her character.
“I have no doubt that like a phoenix in the fire, she’ll rise,” Moafi remarked, reflecting on her pride in playing the role.
Moafi shared that she has received messages from a wide range of people, including those from the healthcare sector, individuals with disabilities, and others from mixed or marginalized communities who have felt underrepresented.
She elaborated: “I think this character has given visibility to a lot of different types of people. I’m so grateful that she exists. I’m so proud that I got to live inside of her and bring her to life. The thing that struck me most is the number of people with health conditions, whether it’s chronic illness or disease or disability, who have reached out and said how much seeing her experience and seeing not just her condition, but also the way in which she manages it and has struggled with it and the vulnerability that she’s expressed through it has made them feel very seen.”
Moafi joined the acclaimed HBO Max series in its second season as Dr. Al-Hashimi. Following a conflict between her character and Noah Wyle’s Dr. Robby in the finale, fans speculated online about potential real-life tensions influencing the storyline.
Addressing these rumors, Moafi told Variety in May, “We’re really great colleagues. Noah and I have always had a great working relationship, which is why it actually felt safe to do the darker, dirtier work in episode 15, particularly because, between setups, we were shooting the s*** and laughing.”
Moafi dismissed any rumors of a conflict with Wyle, 54, saying, “So that’s completely false that there’s a personal sort of beef or rivalry between us, at least not that I’m aware of. You can check with Noah, but I don’t know about this.”
Moafi joined The Pitt after Tracy Ifeachor left the cast unexpectedly. When Ifeachor, who played Heather Collins, a fourth-year resident, was not seen in season 2, a source informed Us Weekly in July 2025 that her character was always meant to leave to pursue a medical career in later episodes of the series.
Similar reasoning was provided when it was announced that Supriya Ganesh would not return as Dr. Samira Mohan in season 3.
Executive producer R. Scott Gemmill recently explained to Us Weekly, “It’s sort of the nature of the show. Unfortunately, the way the medical profession works, you come in, you learn, you move on, and we want to try and be as truthful to that process as possible. So we’re going to turn over our cast. But I think it’s a great launching pad for people, and that’s the best we can do.”
