Fans sensed something was off during Season 9. Despite being close in earlier seasons, two main characters — Joe Cruz and Blake Gallo — suddenly had minimal scenes together. What fans didn’t know? The actors behind them had stopped speaking.
Sources from Chicago Fire’s set now confirm that a falling-out between actors Joe Minoso (Cruz) and Alberto Rosende (Gallo) caused significant script reshuffling.
“It started with a disagreement during a charity shoot,” said a production assistant. “Joe felt disrespected. Alberto thought he was being micromanaged.”
Tensions spilled onto set. In one scene involving a firehouse prank, the two reportedly refused to perform physical comedy together. “The energy was toxic,” said a grip.
Writers quickly reduced their shared scenes. A planned subplot about Cruz mentoring Gallo was scrapped entirely — with episodes rewritten to separate their arcs.
By the next season, relations had reportedly cooled — but fans were left wondering why their dynamic disappeared.
Turns out, some drama doesn’t need to be scripted. It writes itself.
