The Pitt’s Patrick Ball found a subtle — yet effective — way to tease whether Langdon is leaving the show after multiple cast exits.
Ball, 36, weighed in after Us Weekly‘s Instagram account shared a post about Noah Wyle teasing more changes to the show after Supriya Ganesh’s recent departure.
Wyle, 54, who plays Dr. Robby, didn’t rule out more departures before the drama starts filming season 3, telling Variety, “It’s an inevitability that’s going to happen every season with this show, because as writers we’re hard-pressed to figure out what a lapse of time we can have and keep most of the ensemble together realistically.”
In response, Ball replied in the comments section, “Gulp.”
The lighthearted joke came after news broke that Ganesh, 28, would be written out of the show after season 2. The HBO Max series previously surprised viewers when Tracy Ifeachor confirmed her exit in July 2025.
Ball, for his part, has played Frank Langdon since the show premiered in 2025. Halfway through season 1, The Pitt revealed that Langdon was stealing drugs from the hospital after developing an addiction following an injury.
“He refers to having hurt his back while helping his parents move, and that is frequently the case. He goes to a doctor who gives him pain meds, and then those are habit-forming pain meds. This happens all the time. This happens with people that I know that are very, very high-functioning,” Ball exclusively told Us in March 2025. “You see this opioid problem that is just riddling itself all across this country. It’s really sad because it’s not people that ever set out to become addicts. It’s people that trust and that get caught in a trap. That’s part of what happened with Langdon.”
Ball was thankful for the opportunity to tell the story.
“All credit goes to our creator, R. Scott Gemmill, and the writers, because it’s never who you think when it comes to addiction,” Ball said about Langdon acknowledging his problem. “Addiction is a disease and it’s a disease that a lot of people fight with — including a lot of people I know.”
According to the actor, the writers’ room was “really great about being really measured” in the hints and clues leading to the reveal.
“[It was also about] making sure that we depict this addiction as accurately and humanely and responsibly as possible,” he continued. “It’s just been an incredible pleasure and honor to get to be part of telling that story.”
Season 2 has followed Langdon’s return to the ER after going to rehab, which will continue to be addressed on screen.
“Coming out of rehab and doing some soul-searching, I might need a little encouragement,” Ball told Us in September 2025 about his character, who is expected to return in season 3.
The season 2 finale of The Pitt premieres on HBO Max Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.
