Chicago Fire Losing One of Its Last Original Stars After Season 12

There have been a ton of changes made to the cast of Chicago Fire over the last few years, but the end of Season 12 is bringing what could be the show’s biggest departure to-date. The hit NBC drama is set to lose one of its only remaining original cast members after the conclusion of Season 12, as Eamonn Walker is exiting Chicago Fire as a series regular.

According to Deadline, Walker’s time as a Chicago Fire mainstay will come to an end ahead of the show’s 13th season this fall. The actor has been credited on every episode of the series so far, playing Wallace Boden. The report states that the decision to leave the series was Walker’s.

Fortunately for the OneChicago franchise, this won’t be the last we see of Boden on Chicago Fire. While he’s stepping away as a series regular, Walker is expected to return to the show in the future as a recurring character. There’s no word yet on when he will next appear or how many episodes per season fans can expect to see him.

Walker’s last episode as a series regular will be “Never Say Goodbye,” the Season 12 finale that airs on May 22nd. Boden has been on a short hiatus dealing with a family issue, but he’ll be back before the finale, in which the reasons behind his more permanent fate on the show will be revealed. The logline for the finale says that Boden will “make a decision” that will have major ramifications throughout the whole department.

If Walker’s exit isn’t the biggest Chicago Fire has seen since it began, it’s certainly the most substantial since Jesse Spencer’s full-time exit from the show. Spencer’s Matthew Casey has returned to the station on occasion since leaving, and Walker will do something similar.

There have been other notable Chicago Fire departures of late, some of which were resolved rather quickly. Taylor Kinney’s Kelly Severide, the show’s most popular character, went on a brief hiatus, but returned on a regular basis earlier this season. Back in April, newcomer Rome Flynn announced that he was leaving the series after just six episodes. That came as a bit of a shock to fans, as it seemed like his character was being set up for a bigger role down the line. Kara Killmer will also be leaving the series ahead of Season 13.