‘The Blacklist’: Mozhan Marnò Exits Series After 5 Seasons

The Blacklist task force lost a member during Friday night’s two-hour episode. Mozhan Marnò, who has played Agent Samar Navabi since the James Spader-starring show’s second season, announced she is not returning to the series.

After the special episode aired, Marnò thanked fans on Instagram for their support and detailed how the part has changed her life.

“Five years ago, I got a call from my manager telling me I got the role of Samar on The Blacklist,” Marnò began. “Almost overnight, my life changed. It has been an amazing experience; I have made mistakes, I have made friends, I have grown. I’ve been in the room with some incredible people. And, every time I get on the subway in New York, someone affectionately yells out, ‘Yo, Samar!’ But, last summer, I decided that I was ready for my next chapter, and the producers very graciously granted my request to move on from the show.”

She added, “And so, tonight, my life changes again. As my last episode airs, I just wanted to express gratitude to my colleagues, my producers, and the fans of the show: thank you. It’s been so much fun.”

At the start of Season 6, we learned that Samar never completely recovered after she nearly drowned following a car accident. During Friday’s episode, she was told she has vascular dementia, which was causing her mini-strokes that damaged her brain.

Mossad learned of Samar’s health and decided she could be a liability, so they put out a hit on her. The Osterman Umbrella Company got on her trail, and Sama realized she had to escape if she wanted to live. Aram Motjabi (Amir Arison) wanted to go with her, but she refused to let him ruin his life on her behalf. So, she got help from Red (Spader) to get out of the country.

Blacklist creator Jon Bokenkamp previously hinted that Samar and Aram’s engagement would not go well in an interview with TVLine in January. He said her health problems would “change the landscape of the show in a great way.”

While Marnò will not be returning to The Blacklist this fall, Spader, Megan Boone, Diego Klatenhoff and Harry Lennix have signed on for Season 7. The show was picked up for another year earlier this month after series producer Sony Pictures TV reached new contracts with Boone, Klatenhoff and Lennix.

Outside of The Blacklist, Marnò’s other credits include A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, The Mentalist and House of Cards.

New episodes of The Blacklist air Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

Photo credit: Will Hart/NBC