Major ‘9-1-1’ Star Possibly Exiting Show

The 9-1-1 Christmas episode on Monday night hinted at the departure of one of the show’s main characters. In the very end, it looked like Ryan Guzman’s character Eddie Diaz may have responded to his last emergency. Eddie hinted that his son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh), was worried about his safety and wants him to change his line of work.

The episode, titled “Wrapped in Red,” served as the 9-1-1 mid-season finale. While Eddie was decorating their house, Christopher continued criticizing his dad because he wanted everything to be perfect. Christopher then had a nightmare about his mother, who died back in Season 2. Eddie is concerned that he is not planning for Christmas right, especially since holidays used to bring Christopher and his mom closer than ever. Christopher put more pressure on Eddie to make sure Christmas was perfect because he is afraid that his father will die soon, too.

Eddie later admitted to Carla (Cocoa Brown) that he is also thinking about his own mortality, especially after he was held hostage. At the end of the episode, everyone gathered for Christmas and Eddie told them about his conversation with Christopher earlier. His son is worried about the risks he takes every day and he worries it is “too much” for his 10-year-old son. “I have to make a change. I’m leaving the 118,” Eddie said.

This was a surprise, as Guzman’s character has been a mainstay on 9-1-1 since he was introduced in Season 2. However, TV Insider reports that Guzman is not leaving and he will be back on the show when Season 5 resumes in the spring. In fact, Guzman posted a photo of himself in costume on Instagram on Dec. 2. “Stage 4 Eddie Diaz Comin soon,” he teased.

9-1-1 launched in January 2018. The main cast also features Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Rockmund Dunbar, Corinne Massiah, and Marcanthonee Jon Reiss. While the show is on hiatus, the Rob Lowe-starring spin-off 9-1-1: Lone Star will air in its place. Lone Star Season 3 kicks off on Jan. 3 on Fox. Both 9-1-1 shows were created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear.

In November, Dunbar left 9-1-1 over the show’s COVID protocols, Deadline reported at the time. The production is requiring all actors to be vaccinated. Dunbar asked for a medical exemption and later a religious exemption, which were both rejected by 20th Television parent company Disney. Dunbar is not against vaccines but did not comply with the production’s requirements. His character, Michael Grant, was written out of the show in the Nov. 15 episode.

“We take the health and safety of all of our employees very seriously, and have implemented a mandatory vaccination confirmation process for those working in Zone A on our productions,” a 20th Television spokesman told Deadline. “In order to ensure a safer workplace for all, Zone A personnel who do not confirm their vaccination status and do not meet the criteria for exemption will not be eligible to work.”