Summary

Firehouse 51 faces shakeups with departures of Kara Killmer and Rome Flynn’s character, Derrick Gibson.
Gibson, a former boxer with a dark past, grappled with personal demons on a tumultuous Season 12.
Jocelyn Hudon joins the cast, and Taylor Kinney reprises his role.

Firehouse 51 has had some big shakeups lately. Chicago Fire recently parted ways with beloved cast member Kara Killmer, who played Sylvie Brett, and is now parting ways with Rome Flynn’s character, Derrick Gibson. He, in turn, was brought in to replace Alberto Rosende, whose character Blake Gallo left the show. Perhaps to compensate, the series is bringing in actor Jocelyn Hudon (Acapulco, Romance with a Twist), not to mention Taylor Kinney rejoining the cast as Kelly Severide. Learn all about it below.

Gibson was introduced in the tumultuous Season 12 of Chicago Fire as a former boxer with a dark past, having accidentally killed an opponent in the ring. Rome Flynn, famous for The Bold and the Beautiful, quickly garnered love from the fans, but that didn’t stop him from being written out of the show. Flynn posted on his Instagram, quite simply, “curtain call chicago fire.”

The writers’ arc for Gibson led him to have nervous breakdowns after being forced to confront his past when meeting a basketball player who also accidentally hospitalized an opponent. Gibson stayed away from the firehouse for a short time, and when he returned, it was clear that he was abusing painkillers and displaying violent behavior. Lieutenant Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) found Gibson having a panic attack, and the character said:

I thought I pulled it together. I need to get out. I need to go.

So long, Rome Flynn.

Related: Chicago Fire: Why the Series Should Focus on Firehouse 51’s Dynamics More

Goodbye Kara Killmer, Hello Jocelyn Hudon
Chicago Fire Release Date October 10, 2012 Cast Taylor Kinney , David Eigenberg , Christian Stolte , Eamonn Walker Seasons 12 Studio NBC

Kara Killmer’s Sylvie Brett had also exited the series after 193 episodes, following the character’s big wedding. This followed Jesse Spencer’s exit as character Matt Casey, who played Brett’s love interest. Chicago Fire creator Michael Brandt said of Killmer’s exit:

”
Kara, she had a really great long run
. She did an amazing job jumping in, in a difficult time actually, because, you know, we were losing Lauren German at the time, who everybody loves, and she seemed a little irreplaceable. And thankfully, Kara came in and just kind of steadied the ship, and ended up being there, what, 10 years or something? Maybe I’m off a year or two, but she steadied the ship.”

“Her and Casey, Jesse Spencer, that was a real and great legitimate thing after what happened with Dawson,” continued Brandt. “So it’s the natural progression of a successful network show, that there’s turnover and actors wanna go do something else. Like I said, it is grueling. It does feel like it’s never ending. But it’s great to see her go, I’m interested to see what she does next.”

In the meantime, Chicago Fire fans can welcome Jocelyn Hudon to the show, who has an option as a series regular. We’ll update this piece as more information about her character becomes available. Chicago Fire airs Wednesday at 9/8c on NBC, and you can watch the series on Peacock through the link below:

Watch Chicago Fire