Bebe Neuwirth Leaves 'Madam Secretary' and Fans Are Shaken Up

by John Rosca / Oct 24, 2017 10:35 AM EDT

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In a big loss to "Madam Secretary" and the show's fans, actress Bebe Neuwirth has left the CBS series in the middle of its fourth season. The actresses portrayed Nadine Tolliver on the show.

Deadline reports that Neuwirth's exit was incorporated into the Sunday night episode of "Madam Secretary" that saw her character Nadine tender her resignation from the U.S. State Department. Nadine was the chief of staff of Tea Leoni's Elizabeth McCord, the U.S. Secretary of State on the show.

Fans have viewed Nadine and Elizabeth as making up a great team on the show's fictional State Department. Neuwirth has been a series regular on "Madam Secretary" since it made its TV debut in 2014. Any way you look at it, Neuwirth's exit is a major shake-up for "Madam Secretary" and her loss will be deeply felt.

The Wrap says that many fans are indeed shaken up by the sudden departure from "Madam Secretary," which comes in the midst of such plot upheavals as a government shutdown storyline and Daisy Grant (Patina Miller) having her pregnancy. Some fans also pondered whether there would be any resolution to the potential romantic subplot between Nadine and Michael Barnow (Kevin Rahm), whom Nadine has feelings for.

Neuwirth herself took to Twitter to confirm her departure and thank her network, the "Madam Secretary" cast and crew, and the show's fans. "#IllMissNadine," Neuwirth posted--a sentiment that many fans quickly shared on Twitter themselves.

2/3 So grateful to @CBS for accepting my request to depart @MadamSecretary and writing a beautiful exit for me. #IllmissNadine

— Bebe Neuwirth (@BebeNeuwirth) October 23, 2017

The Sunday episode of "Madam Secretary" said farewell to her character, Nadine, who received a call from her son Roman, who told her that she was going to have a grandchild. In the episode, Nadine ended up helping Roman relocate his expectant girlfriend to the Bay Area, overcoming some travel issues that were in the way.

At the end of the episode, Nadine makes the difficult decision to leave the State Department so she can be close to her family and future grandchild. "Madam Secretary" frames it as her request for a leave, but it is clear both to Elizabeth and viewers that Nadine (and Neuwirth) will not be coming back.