Elisabeth Moss Says Alexis Bledel's 'Handmaid's Tale' Exit Wasn't Easy 'to Handle'

Mar. 15, 2025

Warning: This story contains spoilers for the season 5 premiere ofThe Handmaid’s Tale.

Elisabeth Mosshas big feelings about herHandmaid’s Talecostar’s exit.

AfterAlexis Bledelannounced she wouldn’t returnas Ofglen (later known as Emily) for season 5 of the dystopian Hulu series, Moss, 40, spoke out about theGilmore Girlsalum’s absence.

“I love Alexis. I’ve known Alexis for years, back from ourMad Mendays. So, I love her very much,” Moss toldEntertainment Tonight.“We were very sad that she couldn’t join us this year, but I think she’s spectacular.”

The actress, who plays June Osborne on the series added, “it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to handle, I’ll be honest with you, because she’s such a great, fantastic part of the show.”

George Kraychyk/MGM/Hulu/Kobal/Shutterstock

Editorial use only. No book cover usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by George Kraychyk/MGM/Hulu/Kobal/Shutterstock (10051644at) Alexis Bledel as Ofglen ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ TV Show Season 2 - 2018 Set in a dystopian future, a woman is forced to live as a concubine under a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship.

Sylvia (Clea DuVall) tells Moss her wife left “to find Aunt Lydia if she can. It’s what she needed to do.”

The way Bledel’s character left made sense to Moss. “She makes some wild choices and so I think the idea of her going back into Gilead’s very realistic,” Moss added. “And it gave us the opportunity, which I really liked, to juxtapose that with June because June is constantly wrestling with whether or not to go back. And so, it gave us the opportunity to show what that looks like when you leave your family.”

Alexis Bledel and Elisabeth Moss

Bledel, 40, announced her exit in May.

Miller confirmed toETthat the door is open should Bledel choose to return to season 6 — which has been confirmed asThe Handmaid’s Tale’slast.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

New episodes ofThe Handmaid’s Taledrop Wednesdays on Hulu.

source: people.com