Sumith Prasad
Ahead of the premiere of NBC’s action series ‘Chicago Fire’ season 12, Kara Killmer stunned the ardent admirers of the show with the announcement of her departure from the procedural drama. The first episode of the twelfth installment explains how her character Sylvie Brett will potentially get written off. Brett discusses her upcoming wedding with Matthew “Matt” Casey with her colleagues Stella Kidd and Violet Mikami. The paramedic also lets Randall “Mouch” McHolland know that she will leave Firehouse 51 sooner than he expected. As her marriage with Casey gets nearer, Brett is preparing to move to Oregon, which is expected to set up Killmer’s exit!
Kara Killmer’s Exit
Neither NBC nor Kara Killmer has not revealed the reason behind the actress’ upcoming exit from ‘Chicago Fire.’ After the news concerning her departure broke out, Killmer shared her experience of being a part of the series’ cast and the city of Chicago. “These are the very first few pictures I took, or was tagged in, when I first came to Chicago. Going up in the Squad 1 basket was my first exposure to the CFD — some of the best firefighters in the country! The view from my very first apartment was absolutely stunning and the beginning of a love affair with the gorgeous city of Chicago!” the actress shared in November 2023.
The same month, Killmer shared about driving Firehouse 51’s ambulance for one last time. “Filming prep week! […] My very last Ambo driving training today… Everything is coming together to bring you an awesome season 12!” the actress shared through an Instagram post. Killmer hasn’t announced joining any new projects recently, which likely means that she is not leaving the procedural drama due to other commitments or to join other productions. After playing Brett in over two hundred ‘Chicago Fire,’ ‘Chicago Med,’ and ‘Chicago P.D.’ episodes combined, she can be looking for a new challenge.
Killmer Will Feature in a “Chunk” of Season 12
Neither NBC nor Killmer has announced which episode will feature the actress’ last outing as Sylvie Brett. However, the admirers of the show do not need to expect her exit very early in the 13-episode season. “I’ll say that we have a shortened season and she’s in a chunk of this season. She’s got a journey of her own to take before we let her go,” showrunner Andrea Newman told Variety. Furthermore, the fans can look forward to several action sequences featuring Brett in the installment. “[…] we have her [Killmer] for a bunch of the season. She has a lot of great action and heroics in the early part of the season, actually,” Newman told TV Insider.
Having said that, Brett and Casey’s wedding may not be an easy destination for them. “When we see Brett in the premiere, it’s clear pretty quickly that she has plans in place, and those plans will not go exactly how she wants them to. I will say that as often happens on ‘Chicago Fire’ and in real life, things will not go exactly as she expects. […] Maybe it works out for the best, but it doesn’t work out exactly how she thinks it’s going to work out,” Newman previewed in the same TV Insider interview.
Still, we can be hopeful about Brett and Casey’s wedding, which will be a fitting farewell for Killmer. The chances of it materializing are high, especially since Jesse Spencer will return once again to play Casey. “We love Matt Casey. Jesse’s one of my all-time favorites, and we will see him again. There’s a Boden [Eamonn Walker] line in the premiere that’s, ‘Once you’ve been a part of 51, you’re always a part of 51.’ And I think that that speaks to this season quite a bit. And we will see Matt Casey again. Yes,” Newman added. The showrunner’s words also apply to Killmer and we can expect the actress to return to ‘Chicago Fire’ as a guest cast member once she leaves the series.
Read More: Why Did Leslie Shay Leave Chicago Fire? Where is Lauren German Now?
