Jennifer Marshall, who is now in remission, was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in 2022 after her stage 1 foot cancer spread to her lymph nodes.

Stranger Things actress says returning for final season would’ve secured her health insurance amid cancer battle

Jennifer Marshall, who is now in remission, was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in 2022 after her stage 1 foot cancer spread to her lymph nodes.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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January 7, 2026 11:23 a.m. ET

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Jennifer Marshall and Sadie Sink. Credit:

Jennifer Marshall/Instagram

*Stranger Things *actress Jennifer Marshall says that returning for the show’s final season would’ve helped fund her fight against cancer.**

The actress, who starred as Max’s mom Susan on the hit Netflix series, posted an Instagram video Tuesday questioning her character’s absence in season 5 and explained in its caption that her involvement would’ve secured her union health insurance amid her health battle. **

“I had cancer, I get it. But I was in remission during the shooting of season five. Shooting would have helped me obtain my health insurance through the union,” Marshall wrote on Instagram. “Maybe they had too many characters, idk but obv Susan Hargrove is THE WORST MOTHER EVER LMAO.”

Sadie Sink and Caleb McLaughlin on 'Stranger Things'.

Courtesy of Netflix

She went on to tag the video, “#cancersucks #butwhy.”**

Marshall, a military veteran, announced in a 2022 Facebook post that she had been diagnosed with stage 3 cancer after stage 1 foot cancer spread to her lymph nodes. At the time, she noted that she was able to complete filming season 4 of *Stranger Things *while undergoing treatment.

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In her Instagram video, she expressed her curiosity over why Susan wasn’t there to support her daughter in the final season. Unlike other *Stranger Things *parents, Susan was noticeably absent during Max’s stint in the hospital and at her high school graduation. **

“How often I think about where TF Max’s mom was during season five lmao,” she wrote on the video. Answering the question, Marshall replied, “Every day. Not all day, every day but every day.”

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Marshall, who is in remission, previously called out her character’s absence this season in an earlier Instagram post after the *Stranger Things *finale aired on New Year’s Eve.**

“Okay folks! It’s over…but where was she?” she wrote. “What kind of mother isn’t there for her child while she’s in the hospital? Give me all your theories…” **

Several fans shared a wide range of reasons for why Susan wasn’t present, including that the character had been killed off screen and that she was working to pay for Max’s medical bills.

Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Noah Schnapp, and Gaten Matarazzo on 'Stranger Things'.

Courtesy of Netflix

Even Sadie Sink, who plays Max, offered her own theory to *Vulture* on where Max's mom was throughout the season. **

“It’s kind of common for the parents on the show: You just don’t know where they are except for Karen Wheeler [played by Cara Buono],” the actress pointed out. “My theory is that Max’s mom must have disappeared or died at some point in the rift at the end of season 4, because it goes through the trailer park.”

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