Marco Grazzini breaks silence on 'Virgin River' exit as season 8 approaches

Marco Grazzini has confirmed that he won’t be returning for Virgin River season 8.

The 45-year-old actor addressed his unexpected exit from the popular series on Thursday during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“Character departures are very common in this business — especially on a long-running and beloved series like Virgin River," said Marco.

For those unversed, Marco played Mike Valenzuela across six seasons of the beloved Netflix drama.

"It’s been a wonderful opportunity to play Mike for six seasons,” he told the outlet, adding that he has “nothing but love for the cast, crew, and especially the phenomenal fans who make the show so special.”

“I’m excited for this new chapter in my career,” Marco concluded.

Although fans won't see Marco in the upcoming season, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith said he's likely to return in a later season.

“For me, I’m just trying to look to the longevity of the show and making sure that the characters that we’re keeping have enough story engine in them to keep going,” Patrick told Deadline. 

“So I can’t say there are any specific cast shakeups planned, but I think we will have to start to — as characters run their course — make some decisions and bring in some new blood," he added.

Virgin River season 8 is expected to be released on Netflix in early 2027.