When Did Jesse Spencer Leave ‘Chicago Fire’? The Actor Explained His Decision

After a surprise cameo by Matt Casey on "Chicago Fire," many have been questioning if he will appear in more episodes. When he first left, showrunner Derek Haas expressed that the series would do anything for him to come back, but this still doesn't answer the question.

Unwilling to miss his best friend Kelly Severide's (played by Taylor Kinney) wedding day, Jesse Spencer's character Matt Casey appeared on "Chicago Fire."

This season 10 finale showed Casey being the great friend he is as he managed to help the bride and groom when their venue wasn't available at the last moment.

As the best man, he helped them avoid canceling their special day by somehow getting a captain to officiate their wedding on a boat.

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WHEN DID JESSE SPENCER LEAVE CHICAGO FIRE?

When the 200th episode of NBC'S "Chicago Fire" came around in 2021, it was an outstanding achievement, and yet a sense of sadness was looming as Australian-bred Spencer's time on the series had expired. Speaking in a roundtable interview, he expressed:

"This was a difficult decision because I have loved the show from the start, but there are other things that I would like to do in the future, and there's some family that I need to take care of, and 18 years is a long time."

Sometimes when actors choose to leave a series, and their characters follow suit, it can seem inorganic. But luckily, as Spencer said, the way Casey was written out of the storyline was so natural and felt right.

One issue that the writers and showrunners and Spencer himself faced in this regard was the character's relationship with paramedic Sylvie Brett, played by Kara Kilmer. The two had just come together romantically, only to engage in a long-distance relationship. But, Spencer said:

"It was difficult because I really like Kara. But I think it was written really well into the episode because they're trying to make the relationship work, but they know that he's leaving. So they're sort of saying nothing's going to change."

Showrunner Derek Haas expressed his hopes that Spencer would return at some point, saying that they would do anything to have him back.

WHO IS JESSE SPENCER MARRIED TO?

Offscreen, Spencer is very much in love with his wife Kali Woodruff Carr, who he met in 2014. They exchanged nuptials on June 27, 2020, in a private ceremony. But, Spencer nearly walked down the aisle with someone else.

The actor was previously promised to co-star and on-screen love interest from the series "House" Jennifer Morrison. They got engaged in 2006 but called it off in less than a year.