Stranger Things forgotten mum battled cancer, says Season 5 snub cost her medical help: 'Worst mom ever'

Jennifer Marshall, the actress who played Max’s mom, Susan Hargrove, on Stranger Things seasons 2 and 4, is speaking out—and it’s part heartbreak, part exasperation, part real-life frustration. The 44-year-old revealed that being invited back for season 5 could’ve made a serious difference in her life, financially and medically.

On Instagram Tuesday, January 6, Marshall explained that returning to the Netflix hit could have helped her secure health insurance through the union during her cancer 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. Maybe they had too many characters, idk but obv Susan Hargrove is THE WORST MOTHER EVER LMAO,” she wrote, closing with hashtags including #cancersucks and #butwhy.

A military veteran, Marshall previously shared on Facebook in October 2022 that she was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer at 39, after stage 1 cancer in her foot spread to her lymph nodes.

Her latest Instagram post confirmed she’s now in remission—and she couldn’t resist addressing the lingering question: what happened to Susan Hargrove in season 5? Looking straight into the camera, she said, “Every day. Not all day, every day but every day,” alongside pasted graphics reading “HUH?” and “Confused.”

Marshall had stirred the curiosity of fans just five days earlier with a post showing Max (Sadie Sink) in a coma in the hospital at the start of season 5. A block of text on the photo read, “But where was Max’s mom??” The caption added, “Okay folks! It’s over … but where was she? What kind of mother isn’t there for her child while she’s in the hospital?”

Fans flooded the comments, clearly feeling Susan’s absence too. “Was hoping to see you! Asking the same question,” wrote one, while another pointed out, “I was looking for you at the graduation!!! Everyone’s family was there but Max’s? They did her wrong!”

Marshall’s posts have sparked a conversation about both Susan’s fictional absence—and the very real impact of missing work opportunities on an actor facing a serious illness.