Chicago Fire is saying goodbye to yet another cast member.
Alberto Rosende, who has played Blake Gallo for four seasons, will exit the NBC drama in the Season 12 premiere (airing Jan. 17), TVLine has confirmed.
The actor first joined Fire in Season 8 as a promising but sometimes reckless rookie firefighter with a tragic past whom Jesse Spencer’s Casey took under his wing. Gallo has also had an on-and-off romance with paramedic Violet (Hanako Greensmith).
Rosende’s departure isn’t the only cast shakeup awaiting the series next season: As TVLine previously reported, Kara Killmer will return to the show in Season 12 — but it will be her last year as paramedic Sylvie Brett. The exact timetable/episode for her exit has not been revealed yet.
On the bright side, leading man Taylor Kinney will return as Lieutenant Kelly Severide for at least the start of Season 12. The actor took a leave of absence from the show in January to deal with a personal matter. Meanwhile, co-showrunner Andrea Newman will hold the post solo for the upcoming season, following co-showrunner/co-creator Derek Haas’ exit from the series in November 2022.
Chicago Fire Season 12 premieres Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 9/8c for a shortened 13-episode season following the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.
In other #OneChicago news, Tracy Spiridakos, who plays detective Hailey Upton on Chicago P.D., will depart the cop drama after the upcoming 11th season. Meanwhile, Luke Mitchell (Blindspot) has joined Chicago Med as a new Emergency Department doctor for Season 9.
Our sister site Deadline first reported the news of Rosende’s exit.
