As Deadline recently exclusively reported, Jake Lockett, who portrays firefighter Sam Carver on NBC’s Chicago Fire, will not be returning for a potential 14th season. He’s sharing his thoughts for the first time on his pending exit in a post Monday on Instagram.
“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. So much pride in this journey,” he wrote alongside a video montage of some of his most favorites moments from the show.
“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 has portrayed Sam Carver since Season 11, first in a recurring role before getting bumped up to series regular for the current 13th season. His storyline seemed to wane after his relationship with Violet ended, leading him back to the destructive behaviors he had worked so hard to improve upon. He also found himself in the arms of a former girlfriend who, as a party girl, was probably not the best choice for a sober person to reignite a relationship with. He eventually relapsed and entered a 12-step program and rehab. Since then, Sam has been working hard to redeem himself at the firehouse and with Violet, who have since renewed their friendship.
As we reported, Daniel Kyri, who joined Chicago Fire in Season 7 as Firefighter Darren Ritter, also won’t be returning in a potential Season 14.
Kyri and Lockett’s departures are believed to be part of an effort to trim the budget of Chicago Fire, which also faces negotiations with many of the series’ veteran cast members whose contracts are up, sources said. As actor deals are getting renegotiated and renewal talks between NBC and producing studio Universal Television on the five Wolf Entertainment series for the network continue, there could be more exits across all five shows, we hear.
You can see Lockett’s Instagram post below.
Rosy Cordero contributed to this report.
