America Ferrera to exit NBC's Superstore after this season

Massive cast departure in aisle 5!

NBC announced on Friday that Cloud 9 will be down a key employee, as America Ferrera will be departing Superstore after this season.

Ferrera, who plays buttoned-up store manager Amy, has been with the show since its launch in 2015. The show will go on without Ferrera — who also serves as an executive producer — as NBC recently renewed the big box store-set comedy for a sixth season.

“The last five years on Superstore have been some of the most rewarding, enriching and enjoyable years of my career," the actress said in a statement. "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. 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.”

The next chapter for her family includes a second child, as Ferrera is currently pregnant. “I’m obsessed with my little guy. He’s 20 months old now,” Ferrera told People earlier this week about her son, Sebastian. “Now that I’m gonna have two, I’m sure that’s just gonna get even more complicated... 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.”

In addition to her duties on Superstore, which also included directing four episodes, Ferrera is an executive producer of the new Netflix comedy Gentefied and voices Astrid in the How to Train Your Dragon movies and TV series.

In the same statement, Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta, who serve as co-presidents of NBC Entertainment scripted programming, said: “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. We feel so fortunate to call her both a colleague and friend.”

Ferrera's character, Amy (who changes the moniker on her name tag every episode), has been promoted through the years, eventually becoming manager of the St. Louis-area location. A single mother of two children, she is dating co-worker Jonah (Ben Feldman). It's unclear how her departure will affect their relationship. The ensemble comedy — which has its season 5 finale on April 16 —also stars Lauren Ash, Colton Dunn, Nichole Bloom, Mark McKinney, Nico Santos, Kaliko Kauahi, Jon Barinholtz, and Kelly Schumann.

Ferrera's previous credits include the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies and The Good Wife. She won an Emmy and a Golden Globe during her four-season run on ABC's Ugly Betty.

Related content:

• Inside the set: How Superstore created Cloud 9
• Superstore star America Ferrera says she gets mistaken for Gina Rodriguez, is obsessed with Cate Blanchett
• America Ferrera and cast of Netflix's Gentefied on the magic of the Morales family