Monica Raymund Reveals the Real Reason She Walked Away From ‘Chicago Fire’ After Season 6

Monica Raymund was a huge part of Chicago Fire for six years. She played Gabby Dawson, a head paramedic that fans absolutely loved. But after being on the hit NBC show since it started back in 2012, she decided it was time to pack her bags and leave.

According to an article by Lex Briscuso, Raymund just felt like it was time for something new. Her six-year contract was ending, and she wanted to stretch her wings as an actor. She told the Chicago Tribune, I’m not sure the exact moment when it happened, but 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.

On top of wanting different acting jobs, she also wanted a change of scenery for her personal life. She had been living in Chicago for five years while filming the show. She told the Chicago Tribune that she was ready to create her home and plant some roots in Los Angeles.

Her boss on the show, Derek Haas, did not even believe she was actually leaving at first. Because she was such an important part of the cast, Haas thought she was just trying to get a better contract when she told him she was walking away after season six. He had to have several conversations with her before he realized she was completely serious about saying goodbye.

When it came to the story on screen, the writers sent her character, Gabby, to Puerto Rico to run a rescue team. Even though she left the main cast in 2018, she did not completely disappear from the show. She came back for guest appearances in season seven and season eight, which means the door is always open for her to return again later.

Leaving the show was a big gamble because it meant giving up a steady paycheck. Raymund talked to the Chicago Tribune about how hard that choice was. She said, It’s kind of a double-edged sword, because on the one hand, it’s wonderful to be employed for that long and to have job security. And to be able to delve into a storyline and to [flesh] it out over that amount of time. To get that opportunity is extremely rare and special. Job security is always the two favorite words an actor can say! But sometimes you have to take a risk to diversify your opportunities.

Taking that risk really worked out well for her. Since she left the firefighting drama, she has landed the main role in a Starz show called Hightown. She has also spent a lot of time working behind the camera as a director for big TV shows like FBI, Dexter: Resurrection, and Boston Blue. She wanted to grow as a performer, and leaving her comfortable job helped her do exactly that.

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