FBI: Most Wanted is in fine form in the 2024 TV schedule when it comes to delivering the kinds of dark cases that fans have come to expect from the FBI spinoff. Of course, not many are quite as dark as the episode that shocked actress Roxy Sternberg, which was also rough on her character in her personal life. The star has some good news to celebrate in real life, however, as she’s expecting her second child. When she spoke with CinemaBlend, she shared how the show is handling her pregnancy as the fifth season continues.
This is actually the second time during the run of FBI: Most Wanted that Roxy Sternberg has been expecting a child, although Barnes is in a very different place this time around. Back in Season 3, the character stepped back from the task force in the wake of Jess’ death to spend more time with her family. By this point in Season 5, Barnes is facing problems in her marriage. I spoke with the actress shortly after she announced her pregnancy on Instagram with twelve weeks left to go, and she explained:
We’ve reached a point now where I’m showing. For a while you couldn’t see, and now there’s polite [comments] kind of like, ‘I wouldn’t stand like that’ or ‘Maybe we’ll wear a jacket.’ There’s a few polite kind of utters of ‘I can see a belly, I can see a baby right now.’ There’s that obviously, but other than that, nothing really changes. We’re not including it in the character. It wouldn’t make sense for many reasons. So business as usual, just a little bit more tired than normal. I never know whether I blame that on the 4 a.m. pickups or the baby. I don’t know what to blame. I’m tired even when I’m not pregnant. [laughs] I’m just tired.
Back in 2022, the actress shared some behind-the-scenes photos to show how the Most Wanted photography team managed to hide her pregnancy so that she could keep working into her ninth month. Sternberg was absent from the back half of Season 3, so fans had to wait until Season 4 to really see what she made of Remy as Jess’ replacement.
It remains to be seen if Barnes will bow out of the action in Season 5 like she did in Season 3 for Sternberg’s maternity leave. The fifth season is set to be shorter than usual due to the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike delays, although the show did hit a milestone early on this year. It’s possible that the shorter season means Sternberg filming for all the episodes before taking a maternity leave, although we can only speculate on that front.
For now, take a look at the sweet photo that Roxy Sternberg shared to announce the good news:
Keep tuning in to CBS on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET for new episodes of FBI: Most Wanted with Roxy Sternberg as Agent Sheryll Barnes. The character won’t be having a baby just because the actress is, so it remains to be seen if she’ll be temporarily written out this season. Barnes definitely has a part to play in the new episode on March 26, based on the set of exclusive episode photos that reveal her sporting a smile.
You can also revisit earlier episodes of FBI: Most Wanted streaming with a Paramount+ subscription now, along with FBI and FBI: International.
