After 12 seasons, Eamonn Walker is leaving Firehouse 51.
Original actor Walker has played Wallace Boden, the beloved fire chief, since the premiere of Chicago Fire in 2012. Boden started as Battalion Chief of the 25th Battalion before being promoted Deputy District Chief in season 10 and is currently competing for the role of Deputy Fire Commissioner.
Although the British actor will not be joining the hit NBC series, he may still appear in future episodes.
A source told Deadline that Boden is “still alive and well” and “expected to return to the show in a recurring capacity in the future.”
According to the site, Walker made the decision to leave the firefighting drama on his own.
He’s not the only one to exit the series. Over the years, there have been many cast changes on the show. Most recently, Blake Gallo, played by Alberto Rosende, retired from Chicago Fire. Additionally, Sylvie Brett, played by Kara Killmer, and her lover Matt Casey, played by Jesse Spencer, both left the show.
For Walker, 61, the Chicago Fire Department is a family on and off screen.
“It’s mostly human alchemy, relationships are like that,” Walker told ET in 2019. “When you have a good relationship, you almost never go to work.”
Fans will get a better idea of Boden’s future after Chicago Fire’s season 12 finale “Never Say Goodbye” airs on Wednesday, May 22.
