‘S.W.A.T.’ Alum Rochelle Aytes Weighs in on ‘Exiles’ Spinoff (Exclusive)

Aytes joined the series in Season 3 and departed after Season 7 due to her role on Watson.

October 2, 2025, 9:05pm

Pictured (L-R): Shemar Moore as Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson and Rochelle Aytes as Nichelle. (Photo by Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images)

Another S.W.A.T. star is weighing in on the upcoming spinoff.

Sony Pictures Television announced in May that it had ordered S.W.A.T. Exiles to series after its predecessor was canceled for a third time.

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Shemar Moore is set to return as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson and lead a new team of recruits after he’s forced out of retirement. S.W.A.T. stars Jay Harrington and Patrick St. Esprit will be returning as David “Deacon” Kay and Commander Robert Hicks in the series premiere, but could anyone else join them? Rochelle Aytes, who played Hondo’s wife and baby mama Nichelle, told PopCulture.com that if they call her back, “absolutely.”

Pictured (L-R): Rochelle Aytes as Nichelle. Photo: CBS

“Yes. S.W.A.T. Exiles, I heard. And I believe they’re filming right now,” Aytes said. “I mean, we never got divorced. We have a baby together, so if they wanna bring Nichelle back, I’m all for it. That show does not die. The fan base for S.W.A.T. is so strong, and it just lives on.”

Aytes joined S.W.A.T. in Season 3 as Nichelle Carmichael, a community center worker who gets some help from Hondo, and the two later make their relationship official. After recurring for three seasons, Aytes was officially brought on full-time for Season 6. Nichelle and Hondo have a baby later that season and get married off-screen between Seasons 6 and 7. Aytes ultimately had to leave S.W.A.T. following Season 7 after nabbing a role on CBS medical drama Watson, but she still made the time to appear in a Season 8 episode last year.

Pictured (L-R): Rochelle Aytes as Nichelle Carmichael, Debbie Allen as Charice Harrelson, and Shemar Moore as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson. Photo is a screen grab. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)

Despite being busy with the second season of Watson, Aytes still wants to come play, no matter how brief it might be. Since she’s interested, there’s always the possibility she could appear on Exiles, but it might also depend on scheduling. At the very least, it’s likely Hondo will give frequent updates about his wife and what she’s up to. That is, if they’re still married by the time the spinoff rolls around.

Along with Moore, the 10-episode series will star Lucy Barrett, Adain Bradley, Zyra Gorecki, Freddy Miyares, and Ronen Rubinstein. Additional details for S.W.A.T. Exiles have not been revealed, but with filming continuing, it might not be long until more information is released, including a premiere date and where the show will end up. For now, all eight seasons of S.W.A.T. are streaming on Netflix. The series is also streaming for free 24/7 on Pluto TV.