CHICAGO Fire has been thrilling fans since it first aired on NBC back in 2012.
A star of the show since its debut, Jesse Spencer is leaving fans heartbroken as he has decided to call it quits.
Why did Jesse Spencer leave Chicago Fire?
The rumor mill was in overdrive for several days as NBC viewers speculated that the actor would be leaving his role as Matthew “Matt” Casey.
The Chicago Fire OG has been the subject of exit rumors in the past – during season 9, we all thought he was about to go after Casey suffered a bad recurring head injury.
Jesse eventually confirmed reports that he is leaving the show to pursue new work opportunities after almost a decade.
After some reflection, Jesse reached out to Chicago Fire showrunner Derek Haas to break news.
Matt Casey was shown leaving town to be the guardian of late firefighter Andy Darden’s kids, Griffin and Ben Darden, in Oregon.
His role of caretaker was a long-time coming as he had already taken care of the brothers after Andy’s widow Heather was jailed following a DUI and a vehicular homicide charge.
Heather moved to Oregon along with her two children but Griffin was seen in season 10 when he began to look for closure in Chicago.
It was then that he confessed to Matt that his family life was still rocky as his mother went back to jail after her fourth DUI.
Matt eventually exits Chicago Fire to move to Oregon, stating that he will stay there at least until Ben, the youngest of the Darden children, turns 18.
But his departure complicates his relationship with Sylvie Brett (played by Kara Killmer).
The pair decide to try their hand at a long-distance relationship.
Derek Haas has confirmed that Matt and Sylvie will remain an item but that they will have their share of obstacles.
The executive producer has yet to reveal who will be taking his slot at Firehouse 51.
What has Jesse Spencer said?
While he is happy to take on new challenges in his acting career, Jesse has expressed a hint of sadness upon leaving the show.
He made it clear that his departure “was a difficult decision” as he has been a familiar face on Chicago Fire for close to a decade.
“I realized I’ve been doing TV for a long time”, he told TV Line.
“I added it up, and I think this year is my 18th year of network television.”
“I said I thought it was time to leave the show, and he agreed that we should at least get Casey to 200 episodes.”
“It was a difficult decision because I’ve loved the show from the start, but there are other things I’d like to do in the future and there’s some family to take care of.”
But his departure could be far from permanent.
Speaking to Deadline on October 20, 2021, Jesse vaguely hinted that he would not rule out a return of his character as of yet.
“I think it was pretty organic that he’s leaving and he’s going for three years but is he? We don’t know”, he said.
People magazine has speculated that Matt could come back to Chicago for Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Stella Kidd’s (Miranda Rae Mayo) wedding.
Jesse also pointed out that he still lives in Chicago with his wife, research scientist Kali Woodruff Carr.
“I’m not running off to Los Angeles or anything, although I might escape for a little bit of the winter. There is the potential for me to come back.”
In the meantime, fans will have to wait for a comeback with baited breath.
What else has Jesse Spencer starred in?
Some Chicago Fire fans may be surprised to hear that Jesse is actually Australian.
The 42-year-old was born on February 12, 1979 in Melbourne.
Like fellow Aussie stars Margot Robbie and Liam Hemsworth, Jesse kicked off his career in the daytime soap Neighbours as Billy Kennedy.
He then left the soap and headed for Hollywood, where he has done very well for himself.
Jesse had various teen movie film roles, before landing a plum role in Hugh Laurie’s critically acclaimed show, House.
After that he landed the Chicago Fire gig, and the rest is history.
When is Chicago Fire on TV?
Chicago Fire continues weekly on NBC, along with Chicago Med and Chicago PD.
You can catch it every Wednesday on NBC at 9pm ET/PT.
You can watch its sister shows Chicago Med at 8pm ET/PT and Chicago PD at 10pm.
