Why did Monica Raymund leave ‘Chicago Fire’? Actress breaks silence on quitting NBC’s hit drama: ‘I knew that my…’
'Chicago Fire,' which premiered in 2012, delved into the lives and struggles of the firefighters, paramedics, and other rescue personnel at the Chicago Fire Department's Firehouse 51. The procedural drama series found instant success with audiences, who grew to care about the characters portrayed by Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney, David Eigenberg, Eamonn Walker, Joe Minoso, Monica Raymund, and others. Raymund played the head paramedic Gabriela Dawson on 'Chicago Fire,' and quickly established herself as a fan-favorite character. At the end of Season 6 in 2018, she decided to leave her life and career in the Windy City behind and move to Puerto Rico to manage a rescue-and-relief unit. Her exit was a massive blow to fans, who were invested in the character during her six-year stint.
After her exit, Raymund spoke to the Chicago Tribune about what compelled her to walk away from the hit drama series. "I knew that my six-year contract was coming to an end, and I felt like I was hungry to explore a different role, a different story. I wanted to explore a different world," she said in September 2018. The 39-year-old actress added that the decision was motivated by her desire to explore other opportunities and start a new phase in her life, "I had been in Chicago for five years, and just personally, where I was in my life, I was ready to create my home and kind of plant some roots in Los Angeles."
At the start of the series, Gabriela was in charge of Ambulance 61, but she later trained to be a firefighter and joined the members of Truck 81. During her six-year stint, she also had a romantic storyline with Peter Mills (Charlie Barnett) in Season 1 and later married Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) in Season 5. She returned to 'Chicago Fire' in a guest-starring capacity in the Season 7 premiere to divorce Casey and was seen again at a charity ball in Season 8. Furthermore, Raymund also reprised her role in other 'One Chicago' shows, 'Chicago Med' and 'Chicago P.D.' for a few episodes.
Her next main role came in 2020, in the crime drama series 'Hightown,' where she played the National Marine Fisheries Service Agent Jacqueline 'Jackie' Quiñones for three seasons until 2024. Since leaving the NBC series, Raymund has also branched out into directing and helmed several episodes of renowned shows, such as 'Dexter: Resurrection,' 'Boston Blue,' 'Power Book III: Raising Kanan,' 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,' and 'FBI.' She will next be seen in Anthony Bourdain's biographical drama 'Tony,' which is set to come out in August. Her other film project, the supernatural horror 'The Revenge of La Llorona,' a Warner Bros. feature, will come out in April 2027.
