Chicago Fire star Annie Ilonzeh not returning in season 9

Chicago Fire has lost another paramedic, as Annie Ilonzeh will not be returning as Emily Foster in Chicago Fire season 9.

Annie Ilonzeh has left Chicago Fire after two seasons.

One Chicago Center has confirmed with a source close to the production that Ilonzeh will not be returning in Chicago Fire season 9, and that Wednesday’s episode was her last as paramedic Emily Foster. Derek Haas has also confirmed her exit on Twitter.

Deadline was the first to report the news.

SPOILER ALERT: The remainder of this article contains spoilers for the Chicago Fire season 8 finale. If you missed any of the episode, you can catch up with our recap here.

More from Annie Ilonzeh

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• Former Chicago Fire star Annie Ilonzeh signs with new agency
• Chicago Fire season 8 character review: Emily Foster

In “51’s Original Bell,” Foster revisited her idea of returning to medical school. She interviewed with the admissions team at Northwestern University, telling them that three years as a paramedic at Firehouse 51 had made her better.

The end of the episode saw her telling her partner Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) that she was waiting to hear whether or not she was accepted—which, given this news, presumably she will have been when Fire returns for season 9.

NBC did not provide any official word on whether Ilonzeh chose to leave the series, or if Foster was written out.

But her departure means that the show will be looking for its fifth paramedic. Ilonzeh lasted just two seasons, though technically even less than that, since her final season was cut down from 23 to 20 episodes because of the coronavirus pandemic.

She was introduced last season as the replacement for original cast member Monica Raymund, who exited to pursue other opportunities (ironically, a new trailer for Raymund’s series Hightown aired during Ilonzeh’s Fire swan song).

But while Foster fit in at Firehouse 51, there was a lot about her that the audience still hadn’t been able to learn, and now we won’t get to know—unless the character pops up as a medical student on Chicago Med like Jeff Clarke (Jeff Hephner).

For the latest Chicago Fire season 8 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Fire category at One Chicago Center.