Why did Demore Barnes leave Law & Order: SVU, Chief Garland role?
Now, we do have at least a little more information — and a greater understanding that this was not his decision in the slightest to leave.
In a new video statement on Instagram (see HERE), Barnes expresses his gratitude to everyone associated with SVU, whether it be the cast, the crew, the fan base, NBC, or the executive producers behind the scenes. However, he also indicated that he still wasn’t sure why he was being written out of the show. Sometimes, the rationale behind these choices can be difficult to figure out — sometimes it is cost-related, whereas at other points it is creatively-based. It’s a hard thing to comment on entirely until we see the two-hour premiere of SVU airing in just under a week. Most questions related to these episodes should be answered by the time we get around to that point.
Ultimately, the thing that we’re the most sad about with Barnes’ exit is that he was a fantastic actor and there was room to tell so many more stories here. SVU has yet to announce who will be stepping into the role of Chief now or if there are some other cast members who will be coming on board. As of right now, the only confirmed full-time cast members are Mariska Hargitay, Kelli Giddish, Ice-T, and Peter Scanavino. We know that this show is used to having a smaller number of regular characters than other shows, but this is a slim count, even for them.
Are you sad that Demore Barnes is leaving Law & Order: SVU early on in season 23?
What do you think is going to happen to Garland over his final episodes? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! Once you do just that, stick around for all sorts of other updates. (Photo: NBC.)
This article was written by Jess Carter.