Why is Jamie Gray Hyder leaving Law & Order: SVU during season 23?

Late Friday, the news first came out that Jamie Gray Hyder was leaving Law & Order: SVU at the start of season 23. It was definitely a surprise, and of course there was one thought coursing through our mind after the fact: Why? She’s a fairly recent addition to the show, all things considered; why get rid of Kat now?

While there are a number of specifics about Hyder’s exit that are still unclear, we can at least confirm this: It was not the actress’ decision to leave. In a post on Twitter (see HERE), Jamie shared a message making it clear that the decision was “above [her] pay grade, and wouldn’t have been [her] choice.” There are often a number of reasons why characters are written out shows — some are creative, and others financial. This one is particularly challenging just because of the representation that the Kat character brought to this world; also, the fact that it’s happening at the same time that Demore Barnes (Garland) is also leaving the show.

NBC has yet to formally comment on these SVU departures, so hopefully we will get some more context behind these decisions over time. (Barnes has yet to address his exit, but he was tweeting about the show just a few days ago.)

Early on this season we’ll see how both Hyder and Barnes’ characters depart, in addition to whether or not the door is left open for a return. We’ll also have questions about what’s next for the squad, given that moving forward, they will have just Fin, Benson, and Rollins out working on cases. That’s a pretty small core group, with Carisi taking on more of the legal side of things.

SVU will premiere on NBC later this month alongside Law & Order: Organized Crime.

Are you sad that Jamie Gray Hyder is leaving Law & Order: SVU?

Why do you think that this is happening? Be sure to share right now in the comments! Once you do that, stick around to get more updates pertaining to the series. (Photo: NBC.)

This article was written by Jess Carter.