Watch: 'Days of Our Lives' Star Al Calderon Confirms Exit From Soap OperaWarning: This story contains spoilers for the season four premiere of Fire Country. Diane Farr is calming the flames surrounding Fire Country's shocking reveal. Shortly after the show's season four premiere confirmed that beloved firefighter Vince Leone (played by Billy Burke) didn't survive the building collapse in season three, his onscreen wife addressed fans' reaction to her costar's exit from the show. "I know some of y'all are angry," Diane wrote on her Oct. 19 Instagram post, honoring her 's role. "I see those notes also. And I FEEL you. But let me ask an honest question. If we only show the risk in this vocation, week after week, without at least attempting to portray the profound loss that comes to both a firehouse and a family when a key player, when one of their own, falls...wouldn't we be skipping the deepest part of portraying firefighters?" Indeed, the 56-year-old-who stars as Sharon Leone in the CBS series-and viewers were stunned when the Cal Fire chief didn't return to the station in the Oct. 17 episode. Vince's death was first teased in Fire Country's season three finale in April, when he and Sharon got trapped in a massive house fire. readFire Country Sneak Peek: Manny Gives Bode Advice About His NightmaresThat same month, rumors that that Billy, 58, and Stephanie Arcila's Gabriela Perez would be exiting ahead of season four emerged. However, Stephanie returned in the premiere to reveal that her character was leaving for a new job. While the Twilight alum didn't address his exit at the time, the season four trailer-which released earlier this month-confirmed that Vincent didn't make it out of the accident unscathed. And in the premiere's latest episode, his son Bode Leone (Max Thieriot) gave a touching eulogy at his funeral. Though a heartbreaking opening for fans, Diane noted this send-off isn't the end of Vince's legacy at Station 42. "42's chief is not going away easily or silently," she continued in her post. "Our writers have much to share on this. That honors the impact this character and this actor has made. Big feelings for the exit of Billy and Vince are a testament to his beautiful work. We have filmed half of Season4 @firecountrycbs so far and we are honoring it all year long." Sergei Bachlakov/CBS via Getty ImagesDiane's heartfelt tribute comes days after showrunner Tia Napolitano detailed how the cast mourned Billy's departure from the show. "It was very sad, there were a lot of tears on set," she told Deadline on Oct. 17. "Everyone was very sad to lose Vince, the character, and to lose Billy Burke, the wonderful actor. We wanted Bode's speech about his dad to feel really off-the-cuff and not scripted, and the emotion that Max brought to it was just beautiful. I think it really, in many ways, felt like an actual funeral, and you see it in the episode; it's just heartbreaking, you feel the pain from everybody." Keep reading to see more stars who left their popular roles... Virginia Sherwood/NBCMehcad Brooks, Law & OrderMehcad Brooks shocked fans in 2025 when it was revealed he was leaving the NBC crime drama ahead of season 25. Brooks, who joined the show in 2022, portrayed Detective Jalen Shaw for three seasons.
BravoJax Taylor, The ValleyJax Taylor announced he will not be returning to The Valley for season three amid growing concern from fans about his behavior during the show's second season. "Right now, my focus needs to be on my sobriety, my mental health, and coparenting," the Bravo star-who is embroiled in a nasty divorce from estranged wife Brittany Cartwright-shared in July 2025. "Taking this time is necessary for me to become the best version of myself-especially for our son, Cruz."Mike Coppola/NBC via Getty ImagesMichael Longfellow, Emil Wakim & Devon Walker, Saturday Night LiveThe Saturday Night Live stars all announced within days of each other that they would not be returning for the sketch comedy series' 51st season. Longfellow and Walker each spent three seasons on SNL while Wakim exited after just one season.
Todd Williamson/NBCHeidi Gardner & Ego Nwodim, Saturday Night LiveWeeks after Longfellow, Walker and Wakim left SNL, longtime fan-favorites Gardner and Nwodim also confirmed they would not be returning for season 51 after eight and seven seasons, respectively.
Disney/Bahareh RitterSofia Mattsson, General HospitalSofia Mattsson exited the long-running soap opera in summer 2025 after seven years playing Sasha Gilmore. Her character left Port Charles for Paris.HBO Max/Warrick PageTracy Ifeachor, The PittThe Pitt star Tracy Ifeachor walked away from the hit HBO Max series after the medical drama's breakout first season. "It was an absolute privilege to play Dr. Heather Collins in such a groundbreaking season and piece," the actress posted on Instagram July 10. "Thank you to everyone who has watched & supported Season 1 & shared their stories with me."Liane Hentscher/HBOPedro Pascal, The Last o