Jessica Cortez’s time on S.W.A.T. has come to an end as actress Stephanie Sigman confirmed her exit from the CBS drama. The series just entered into its third season and Sigman’s Captain Cortez was notably absent from the Season 3 premiere on Wednesday. Fans wondered why the series regular and original cast member was gone from the show, but the actress didn’t let fans speculate for long before taking to social media to confirm she was leaving S.W.A.T. for good.
Stephanie Sigman’s departure seems abrupt, especially since there had been no indication that she was gearing up to leave to leave the show. Sigman’s exit seems amicable enough, though, and she posted a heartfelt goodbye to her character on Twitter.
The word is out! Jessica Cortez is on to new adventures! And so am I. happy with the work done for the past two seasons (45 episodes). Thankful & proud of the strength this character gifted me throughout the intense learning experience it was playing Captain Cortez. Wishing the show and SWAT FAMILY the best moving forward. Lastly and most importantly, my eternal thanks to the fans who cared for Cortez and enjoy my work, all my love to you out there, couldn’t do it without you.
The S.W.A.T. actress is expected to give birth to her first child soon, so that could be a reason for her leave, but that’s just speculation. After all, maternity leave wouldn’t warrant a permanent absence from the show.
Executive producer and S.W.A.T. co-creator Shawn Ryan responded to Stephanie Sigman’s post in kind.
Much thanks to Stephanie Sigman for her tremendous work on S.W.A.T. It was a pleasure to write for her & see what she did with the role each week. Stephanie's an extremely talented actress. I look forward to seeing what she conquers next professionally. We'll be rooting for her.
The reason behind her departure is unclear, though. Neither of the posts gave an explanation for the actress’ exit, though it doesn’t seem like there was any ill will between Stephanie Sigman and S.W.A.T.’s cast and creative team.
Back in May, the series, which also stars Shemar Moore as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, hadn’t yet been renewed by CBS for Season 3. Ratings might’ve been an issue for the network. Fans were obviously concerned that it meant the end of S.W.A.T. for good. However, CBS did eventually announce that the show would be back for a third season.
Still, the triumph no longer seems that great considering that Season 3 will be down one cast member. Now that Season 3 is in full swing and Captain Cortez is officially gone, it’ll be interesting to see how the show handles her absence.
S.W.A.T. airs every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. Want to know when your favorite fall shows are returning? Be sure to check out our complete list for premiere dates and times.
