In a surprise confirmation AMC and The Walking Dead showrunner confirm that Lauren Cohan has ended her run on the show…for now.

We knew Andrew Lincoln’s time on The Walking Dead was ending with episode 905 “What Comes After” but it turns out that Lauren Cohan’s run on the show also ended with this episode, which ends with a six-year time jump. Angela Kang and AMC programming president David Madden confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter following the episode’s conclusion on Sunday night.

“That’s the last of her for this season,” Angela Kang confirmed. “We’ve been talking to Lauren and hopefully we’ll get to tell more story for her.” Madden added that Cohan and Kang talk regularly: “Angela and Lauren talk. They are actually friendly. And we would like to see her come back.”

Much of Cohan’s ability to return to The Walking Dead is based upon her new show Whiskey Cavalier, which debuts in 2019 on ABC. The fact that there is interest in Cohan’s return is a positive sign because it reflects AMC’s willingness to make a return possible, and it sounds like Cohan is interested in keeping the door open.

Now that “What Comes After” has aired it makes a lot of sense that Maggie is leaving at this point. She found closure with Negan after discovering that the former Savior leader had become a sobbing, broken man who begged her to kill him. She was still plagued by her decision to kill Gregory, which in turn sparked the Oceanside women to kill the Saviors who killed their families. We know Maggie had an open invitation to join Georgie, so perhaps Maggie accepted the invitation and left the Hilltop so that she and Hershel can find a new life elsewhere.

With the six-year time jump it makes sense that Maggie has moved on. There’s no question that fans will be dismayed to not have a proper goodbye for the character, but at the same time this isn’t a “goodbye” so much as a “see you later” given the intent to bring her back. A great deal will be based on Whiskey Cavalier’s success; should the show face cancellation then Cohan has an open door for a return. There is also the possibility of a return in AMC’s planned feature-length movies.

To Lauren Cohan, we’re sad to see you leave so soon, but thank you for the memories and we look forward to having you back in the future!