Longtime Chicago Fire star Joe Miñoso is leaving the NBC drama after 15 seasons.
The actor, 47, is parting ways with the show after first appearing as a guest star in the 2012 pilot. He was promoted to a series regular at the start of season two.
Miñoso will appear as his character, Joe Cruz, in a few episodes at the start of the forthcoming season 15 to wrap up his storyline, Deadline first reported.
His exit will leave only three original cast members remaining on the show: Taylor Kinney and David Eigenberg, who were series regulars from the first episode, and Christian Stolte, who started as a recurring character in season one.
Season 14 of the hit network show — which is from Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television — ended with Miñoso’s character’s wife finding out that they are pregnant with twins before the episode ended on a cliffhanger with the rescue squad trapped in a burning building with the roof about to collapse.
In addition to Kinney, Stolte and Eigenberg, the show stars Miranda Rae Mayo, Anthony Ferraris, Randy Flagler, Dermot Mulroney, Hanako Greensmith, Jocelyn Hudson and Brandon Larracuente.
The only stars confirmed to return for season 15 so far are Kinney and Mayo, per Deadline’s report in May that the two leads had each inked new deals to continue on the show. It was also revealed that BMF actor Da’Vinchi will join the new season as a series regular.
Miñoso has yet to comment on his departure, but shared Deadline’s story about the cast shake-up to his Instagram account Wednesday.
The Independent has reached out to NBC for further comment.
Season 15, which premieres October 7, will also welcome new showrunner Victor Teran, who is replacing Andrea Newman after 14 seasons at the helm.
The season premiere will be sandwiched between the premieres of its fellow One Chicago franchise shows, Chicago Med and Chicago P.D.
Chicago Fire is the longest-running series out of the franchise, and inspired the two spin-offs.
In recent years, the show has gained a reputation for abruptly parting ways with its cast members.
Last year, fans were outraged when actors Daniel Kyri and Jake Lockett were dropped before season 14 began. Insider reports at the time indicated that the decision was made to save money at the network.
Before that, Russian Doll star Charlie Barnett had been written off the series after appearing on it from 2012 to 2015, which he admitted in 2022 was a “blessing in disguise.”
