America Ferrera Announces Exit from NBC's Superstore After 5 Seasons
America Ferrera has starred as store manager Amy Sosa on Superstore since its premiere in 2015
Superstore will have one less employee on staff at Cloud 9 when the NBC comedy returns for its sixth season next year.
On Friday, America Ferrera announced she is leaving the sitcom, which follows a group of employees working at a fictional big-box store in St. Louis, Missouri.
The actress had starred as store manager Amy Sosa since the program premiered in 2015. She also serves as a co-executive producer on the show and has directed four episodes.
News of Ferrera’s departure came in a statement she shared on Instagram. “The last five years on Superstore have been some of the most rewarding, enriching and enjoyable years of my career,” wrote Ferrera, 35. “Producing, directing and acting with this wonderful cast and crew has given me opportunities to grow as a person and storyteller. I’m so grateful to my partners at NBC and Universal Television for the support and belief they have always placed in the show, and I’m most thankful to the brilliant Justin Spitzer for creating the funny, smart and relevant world of Superstore and inviting me to be a part of it.”
Ferrera is currently pregnant with her second child. She and husband Ryan Piers Williams, who wed in 2011, share son Sebastian, 20 months.
“As I start the next chapter for my family and career, I wish only the best, and much continued success, to my beloved Superstore family,” Ferrera said.
According to a statement from NBC, Ferrera’s final appearance on Superstore will come on the season 5 finale, airing April 16.
There’s no word on how her character’s storyline will end. Amy and fellow employee Jonah (played by Ben Feldman) are currently dating on the series.
The showwas recently renewed for season 6, which will begin with its 100th episode.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta — co-presidents of scripted programming at NBC Entertainment — sang Ferrera’s praises.
“America’s immeasurable contributions to Superstore, both in front of and behind the camera as well as an ambassador for the show, can’t possibly be quantified,” they said. “We feel so fortunate to call her both a colleague and friend.”
Added Pearlena Igbokwe, president of Universal Television: “America is a force of nature who not only pours her heart and soul into acting and producing on Superstore, but into the many causes and initiatives she supports. Over the last five seasons she has earned our gratitude and respect.”
Ferrera has been working for nearly two decades in Hollywood and has become one of the most prominent Latina women working in the industry.
After notable roles on the big screen in 2002’s Real Women Have Curves and 2005’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, she found her breakout role in with 2006’s Ugly Betty — winning numerous awards for playing the protagonist Betty Suarez, including an Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award.
In addition to her work on Superstore, Ferrera is also executive producer on the new Netflix series Gentefied, about three Mexican-American cousins living in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights, where their family owns a local Mexican restaurant.
While promoting that project earlier this week, Ferrera told Access that she was preparing herself for being the mom to two kids under 2.
“Now that I’m gonna have two, I’m sure that’s just gonna get even more complicated,” she said. “But in a way, having children — and especially children who I hope identify with their cultural roots — it all feels so much more important. I feel like being a mother has energized me and has focused me.”