Chicago Fire’s Jake Lockett has publicly addressed his upcoming exit from the series and shared sweet behind-the-scenes moments from his time on set.
“While I don’t exactly know what the future looks like, I do know that it won’t be exactly what it was and I am going to miss the hell out of that,” Lockett, 40, confessed via Instagram on Monday, April 28, confirming his departure ahead of season 14. “So much pride in this journey.”
The actor, who plays Sam Carver on the NBC series, shared a video featuring moments with his Chicago Fire brethren, including silly clips between takes. “Almost forgot that this is the whole point,” Lockett wrote alongside the montage.
Lockett didn’t reveal how his character will exit the show this season — the season finale airs on Wednesday, May 21 — but he did reminisce about the journey.
“It’s been an honor bringing Sam to life and to every one of you, thank you for the love and support over the past three years,” he continued.
Lockett then highlighted his castmates and the crew, writing, “And most importantly, the people that I was on the ground with day and night … thank you for the family you are and times you have been and will be there for me.”
He reassured his pals, “If you’re not in one of these clips, there will be more to follow. So many cherished memories.”
Lockett’s bittersweet sendoff video was posted a few weeks after news broke that two Chicago Fire series regulars would not be returning if the show gets a season 14.
Lockett and Daniel Kyri, who plays Darren Ritter, were listed as the two actors reportedly leaving the show after season 13, according to Deadline.
The outlet claimed on April 16 that the surprise departures might be the result of alleged budget cuts, and since they aren’t the only actors whose contracts are up this season there could be more casting shakeups.
Kyri, 30, joined the series in 2018 as Engine 51 firefighter Ritter. The actor confirmed his upcoming goodbye via social media on April 16, writing, “I will miss this character, and it’s time to move on. Thank you to the cast, crew & the awesome fans.”
Lockett, meanwhile, has been playing Truck 81 firefighter Carver since 2022. It’s unclear how either character will be written off, especially since Carver only recently returned to Firehouse 51 after taking leave to deal with his alcohol problems.
During the Wednesday, April 23, episode, Carver teamed up with ex-flame Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith) to track down a fake paramedic who was putting people’s lives in jeopardy. The reunion caused many fans to think it was the start of a rekindled romance — but with Lockett’s impending exit, those dreams could very well be shattered.
Chicago Fire airs on NBC Wednesdays at 9 p.m. E
Which ‘Fire Country’ Characters Are — and Aren’t — Returning for Season 4 After Shocking Departures
Fire Country went through several surprising cast changes — and demotions — ahead of season 4, but which characters are returning to the show?
The CBS series, which premiered in 2022, follows inmate Bode (Max Thieriot) as he attempts to shorten his prison sentence by volunteering for the California Conservation Camp Program. After being assigned to his hometown, he reconnected with his family and former friends and continued to make attempts to redeem himself.
By the third season, Bode was out of prison and determined to prove himself at Cal Fire. The world of Edgewater also continued to grow, with a Sheriff Country spinoff centered around Sharon’s (Diane Farr) sister Mickey (Morena Baccarin) and a possible second offshoot with Jared Padalecki‘s character, Camden Casey, which is still in consideration.
The drama hasn’t remained just on screen though. During the two-part finale season 3 finale, which aired in April 2025, three characters’ lives were left up in the air. But the bigger surprise came after Deadline reported that alleged budget cuts led to Stephanie Arcila exiting the show after three seasons.
Arcila is expected to potentially return as a guest star in the future, while Billy Burke is stepping down with Vince seemingly being the casualty in the finale explosion.
Keep scrolling to see which characters are officially returning in season 4 — and which might not:
Bode Leone
In addition to starring on the show as Bode, Thieriot is an executive producer, director and is involved in each Fire Country spinoff.
“I think there’s still a lot of room to explore. There’s more room to explore in Edgewater and outside of Edgewater,” Thieriot teased to Us Weekly exclusively in May 2024. “When I started, I was always putting the cart before the horse. In my head, I had probably at least three other versions outside of Fire Country. Whether any of those ever see the light of day — we’ll see. But I certainly have at least a couple more ideas for this world.”
Manny Perez
Season 3 followed Manny (Kevin Alejandro) at Three Rock after an arrest led to his reincarceration. Manny was out by the time the season came to an end and will likely continue to focus on his redemption.
Jake Crawford
Before the finale, Jake’s (Jordan Calloway) future at Cal Fire remained unclear. He wanted to know he could move on up and lead the department while Vince (Burke) made it clear there were no immediate openings. Jake chose to accept a captain job elsewhere, but if Vince is getting killed off then the math is adding up to Jake getting the position he was gunning for in Edgewater.
Gabriela Perez
According to showrunner Tia Napolitano, it “wasn’t decided earlier in the season” that Gabriela’s arc was over. “It was during discussions about finding the end of the season,” she told Deadline in April 2025. “We spoke to Stephanie while we were shooting the finale.”
The door is open for Arcila to come back as a guest star.
Eve Edwards
While Eve (Jules Latimer) was still alive when season 3 wrapped up, executive producer Tony Phelan told Deadline that a cast change would allow for more intrigue.
“Also, going into season 4, you don’t want the audience to ever feel complacent, to feel like they know exactly what they’re gonna get, and it’s gonna be the same thing that they’ve gotten,” he noted in April 2025. “You want to create lean-in moments where the real stakes of what’s involved with what these heroes do is always there. So the audience never knows what’s coming next.”
‘Fire Country’ Family Guide: A Breakdown to Everyone Who Is Related on the Show
Sharon Leone
Bode’s mother (Diane Farr) was one of the three potential casualties of the fire at the memory care facility. The Fire Country writing team is determined not to reveal who could die before season 4 returns to CBS in fall 2025.
“We are not going to confirm who we’re losing,” Napolitano told Deadline. “There will definitely be a devastating loss for everyone that remains in our family. No, shooting the finale, none of the actors knew.”
Vince Leone
Speaking of not confirming or denying exits, Burke was the second cast member that Deadline confirmed was not coming back. The outlet reported that there were budget conversations happening earlier on in season 3, and as a result cast members were asked to cut their episode count to save money. The series regulars came together and refused so the scenes remained as is — until it came time to plan the season 4 budget.
“It really just comes down to what’s the best creatively. There’s a lot of stuff going on that we as producers juggle, but honestly, we are writers first and foremost and storytellers,” Rater told Deadline in response to a question about budget cuts affecting the season 4 cast. “And we struggle with these stories, we wrestle them to the ground, we consider them from six different angles. We don’t do anything lightly, we talk, we talk, we talk. And then we just have to go with our gut about what makes the most compelling story, and we are really trying to write authentic stories that examine what these heroes deal with and go through. So that’s where we’re coming from at all times.”
Burke’s character, Vince, is expected to be one of the deaths on the show after the actor was cast in a guest star role on Peacock’s upcoming M.I.A. series.
Audrey James
While Gabriela is no longer around, Bode’s current girlfriend (played by Leven Rambin) ended the season at risk. Audrey helped Gabriela face off with her stalker but Finn (Blake Lee) subsequently got shot and Audrey was the one holding the gun. Rambin only joined the show in season 3 but she likely will remain going into the fourth installment of Fire Country.
