Another firefighter is leaving the station. Alberto Rosende, who plays rookie firefighter Blake Gallo on the hit NBC series, is exiting the show in Season 12. Why is Alberto Rosendo leaving Chicago Fire? Keep reading to find out?
The procedural follows the professional and personal lives of firefighters, rescue personnel, and paramedics of the Chicago Fire Department’s fictional Firehouse 51. Produced by Dick Wolf, the series is the first installment of the One Chicago franchise and it has spawned various other spin-offs, including Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med. Chicago Fire debuted in 2012 and is currently on its 12th season.
Rosende first joined the cast during the second episode of Season 8 as Blake Gallo, a promising but reckless rookie with a tragic past; he lost his parents and little sister to a house fire when he was 12 years old and was saved by Firehouse 131, which inspired him to become a firefighter. Captain Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer) took him under his wing as a mentor and he also had an on-and-off romance with paramedic Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith). Rosende was initially brought on as a recurring role but was promoted to a series regular later on in Season 8, per Deadline. Aside from Chicago Fire, the actor is most known for his starring role on the Freeform series Shadowhunters as Simon Lewis. He has also appeared in CBS’s Blue Bloods and Law & Order: SVU.
After playing Gallo for four seasons, it was announced that Season 12 of Chicago Fire would be Rosende’s last. Keep reading to find out why Alberto Rosende is leaving Chicago Fire and more on what will happen with Blake Gallo.
Why is Alberto Rosende leaving Chicago Fire?
Why is Alberto Rosende leaving Chicago Fire? Deadline reported on November 30 that the actor is set to exit the One Chicago series following a final appearance in the Season 12 premiere. Although Rosende has not spoken about his departure yet, fans have been worried about the risk-adverse Gallo and his future at Firehouse 51 throughout the past season. In the Season 11 episode “Damage Control,” fans saw Gallo nearly die when a building collapsed on him and he was trapped inside. Thankfully he lived, but fans were concerned that he would be killed off before learning his fate. This is certainly not the first time Gallo had been in danger — the daredevil rookie is often very impulsive, which frequently gets in trouble with his superiors. A few episodes prior, he and firefighter Sam Carver (Jake Lockett) clashed over a dangerous move Gallo pulled to get an unconscious man out of a bus and to safety. Gallo may have survived the building collapse in Season 11, but could he get killed off in Season 12? Or will his impulsiveness get him fired?
Rosende’s departure comes shortly after the news that another star, Kara Killmer, will also be exiting the series in Season 12. Killmer has played beloved firefighter Sylvia Brett since Season 3 of the show. Although fans are down two firefighters, they will be getting the return of Taylor Kinney as Kelly Severide. The actor took a hiatus from the series midway through Season 11 “to deal with a personal matter.” While Kinney was absent, fans were treated to multiple special guest appearances from Severide’s former costar, Captain Matthew Casey, who left the series in Season 10. Spencer will also likely make an appearance at the start of Season 12 as we wait to learn whether Sylvie accepts his marriage proposal.