Is Deacon Leaving SWAT? What Happened to Jay Harringtons Character?

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The 20-Squad is dropping like flies! The S.W.A.T. team has lost not one, but two members so far in Season 7 and fans are worried that they might be losing another one. Is Deacon leaving S.W.A.T.? We have the answer below. 

S.W.A.T. is CBS’ police procedural drama that follows Sergeant II Daniel “Hondo” Harelson (played by The Young and the Restless alum Shemar Moore), a former marine who’s hired to lead a new “last stop” Special Weapons and Tactics unit of the Los Angeles Police Department. The series is based on the 1975 series and the 2003 movie of the same name. Rounding out the cast is Kenny Johnson as Dominique Luca, Alex Russell as Jim Street, Jay Harrington as David Kay, David Lim as Victor Tan, Patrick St. Esprit as Robert Hicks, Anna Enger Ritch as Zoe Powell and Rochelle Aytes as Nichelle Carmichael.

In May 2023, S.W.A.T. was abruptly canceled by CBS despite consistent ratings. Fans quickly rallied around the show and were able to get it renewed for a seventh and final season… or so we thought. The network reversed their decision again in April 2024 and ordered another season, but is it too late? Since this season was intended to be a farewell season, several characters have already been written off to give them a “proper curtain call,” as showrunner Andrew Dettmann explained to TVLine ahead of the Season 7 premiere. Fan-favorite rookie Jim Street (played by Alex Russell) transferred to the Long Beach Police Department in Episode 5, and Dominique Luca (Kenny Johnson) was forced into early retirement after he suffered a career-ending injury in Episode 7.

In Episode 8, David “Deacon” Kay (Jay Harrington) began grappling with the idea of retirement as well. Is the 20-squad losing another member? Keep reading to see if Deacon is leaving S.W.A.T.

Is Deacon leaving S.W.A.T.?

Is Deacon leaving S.W.A.T.? The answer seems to be no. Jay Harrington, who plays David “Deacon” Kay, seemed to confirm that he wasn’t leaving S.W.A.T. in an Instagram post in April 2024 celebrating the series’ Season 8 renewal and uncancellation. “SEASON 8 is official!!! can’t thank @swatcbs fans enough!!! 22 more episodes coming your way… let’s roll 👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼,” he wrote.

Harrington was also seen in a video shared by star Shemar Moore, who plays Hondo, at the time announcing that the series had been uncancelled and renewed for an eighth season. “SWAT FAM!!!!!! The dream continues all because of YOU the FANS!!!! We love y’all and wouldn’t be here without your continued love and support!!! Thank you to @cbstv and @sptv for believing in us !! Season 8 here we come!!! FILL THE GAPS …. Let me hear say the rest Fam!!! #rollswat #season8,” Moore captioned the video.

Harrington also seemed to confirm that he wasn’t leaving S.W.A.T. in an interview with TV Insider before the Season 7 finale in May 2024. “He definitely has some mixed feelings [about retiring] because he shows up just to offer some advice based on a contact that he’d made with his other job, but he finds himself back at work witnessing some kind of arguments with the team members and just stuff where he would’ve certainly stepped in in the past but knows it’s not really his place anymore,” Harrington said. “And there’s a couple moments of being, I don’t know, a fish out of water in a sense and uncomfortable being back at the headquarters. So that’s going to play a lot into—I know a lot of people are thinking the way the story has gone is I’m done and I’m gone.”

He continued, “I’m not going anywhere, but we have two episodes to really see how this plays out. I think people are going to love it.”

Deacon is an integral member of the 20-Squad. He’s been with S.W.A.T. for over 10 years and serves as Hondo’s second-in-command. In Season 7’s “Family Man,” Hondo heard from his wife Nichelle (Rochelle Aytes) that Deacon is planning on retiring. Caught off guard by the news, Hondo confronted Deacon and learned that retirement is something the latter had been considering for awhile. “It’s complicated,” Deacon told Hondo. “It’s something that Annie and I talked about before Luca got shot.” He went on to explain that he needs to be at home to help with the kids now that his wife Annie is back at work full time. “I know this is all bad timing, but I wanted to honor my promise to Annie, but then with the uncertainty of Luca’s recovery, I put off saying something,” he said, referencing Luca getting shot in the episode prior. Hondo was upset about his friend’s plans, reminding him that the 20-Squad “is family.”

Toward the end of the episode, Deacon officially handed in his resignation notice and apologized to Hondo about him finding out from someone else. Hondo responded: “That’s not what had me thrown … You were on this team when I joined. I don’t know what 20-Squad looks like without you on it.” Deacon emphasized that his mind is made up, telling his boss: “S.W.A.T. has been the priority in my life for a long time. It’s time to make a change.”

If Deacon follows through on retirement, viewers will have a few more weeks with him before he says goodbye. However, the recent renewal of S.W.A.T. has fans optimistic that his departure will be short-lived, along with Street and Luca’s. Before CBS made the official announcement about Season 8, Shemar Moore encouraged fans to get the ratings up and teased the potential return of cast members who already exited. “Nobody DIED!!! They can always come back!!!” he wrote on Instagram, adding: “Doesn’t mean they will… but ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE WITH NUMBERS!!! Think about it!!”

While the cast for Season 8 has not yet been confirmed, viewers are hoping that Deacon, Street and Luca can be written back in. Since Luca was injured, he may not be able to rejoin the team full time, but there’s hope for the other two!

S.W.A.T. Season 7 airs on Fridays on CBS at 8/7c and streams on Paramount+.

Check out our photo gallery on all the primetime stars who got their start on soaps. 

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