Riverdale: Marisol Nichols to Exit in Season 5

We’re still a ways away from the end of Riverdale‘s fourth season, but it looks like the series is already planning for the future in some bittersweet ways. According to a new report from TVLine, Marisol Nichols will be exiting the hit The CW series before its upcoming fifth season. Nichols has portrayed Hermione Lodge, the former mayor of Riverdale and the mother of Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), since the show’s inception. It is unclear at this point how Hermione will be written out of the show. This news comes just moments after it was confirmed that Skeet Ulrich would also be stepping down from his role as F.P. Jones in Season 5.

“I had an incredible time bringing Hermione Lodge to life and working with my amazing cast, who became family,” Nichols said in a statement. “We had so many wonderful times together during the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. We really do have the best fans ever. I am looking forward to the next chapter and am excited about the future.”

In the show’s most recent season, Hermione has been dealing with the ever-evolving drama of Lodge family, including being sent to prison for orchestrating a plot to kill her husband, Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos). In the episodes since then, the Lodge family has dealt with the arrival of Hiram’s other daughter Hermosa (Mishel Prada), the news that Hiram has a deadly disease, and a lot of other betrayals.

The news that both Nichols and Ulrich will be leaving the series has been confirmed by showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who praised both of the actors and hinted that the door is open for them to return.

“Part of life in Riverdale — and part of growing up — is saying goodbye to people,” Aguirre-Sacasa said in a statement. “I’m grateful to Skeet and Marisol for their incredible work on the show these last four years, and we all wish them well on their future endeavors. F.P. and Hermione will never be far from our hearts. And, of course, they’re always welcome back in Riverdale.”

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Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.