Samantha Agate
chicago fire kicked off season 11 in September 2022 with several beloved characters returning to reprise their roles. years later lauren germanthe departure of the seriesfans continued to wonder why her character, Leslie Shay, was shockingly dropped from the show. Keep scrolling to find out what happened to Shay.
What happened to Shay in “Chicago Fire”?
Paramedic Shay from Fire Station 51 debuted on chicago fire during the show’s first season in 2012. It looked like the fan-favorite character, known by her last name, had a bright future in the drama series as one of the only women on the team to male predominance. The following season, Lauren’s character story took a dramatic turn.
During the Season 2 finale titled “Real Never Waits”, Shay walked into a burning building and was hit by falling debris. His fate was left unclear in the cliffhanger episode until it was revealed that an arsonist had intentionally set traps to kill the first responders. It was confirmed in the 2014 Season 3 premiere that Shay died in the building. His colleagues honored him by painting a tribute on the door of Ambulance 61.
Is Shay returning to “Chicago Fire”?
Lauren appeared in a few flashbacks after her character’s death; however, it looked like his time on the show was definitely over. Over a decade since she did chicago fire debut, some longtime viewers wondered if the door was still open for the character to return in the future.
Executive producer Matt Olmstead later revealed that the producers struggled with the idea of potentially killing off another character. Ultimately, they felt Shay’s departure would have the biggest impact. He revealed Lauren’s reaction to the news that her character was going to be killed off.
“There were discussions that it could happen, and she was very professional about it,” he explained during a September 2014 interview with TV line. “She joked that she wasn’t going to miss the Chicago winters. She’s a California girl. So, it was nice to know that she was able to joke around a bit about it.
As for whether she’ll ever return in more flashbacks, the showrunner revealed that Lt. Kelly Severide has DVDs in her possession containing snippets of her fondest memories with Shay. “Who knows after all when he might summon one to remember her when he needs her?” he teased.
Where is Lauren German now?
Shay’s heartbreaking death on TV is one that fans have never really recovered from. In fact, Lauren was nominated for Favorite TV Character We Miss the Most at the 2015 People’s Choice Awards. chicago firethem 7th Sky alum landed a lead role on Lucifer. She appeared in over 90 episodes of the series from 2016 through the series finale in 2021.
As the 10th anniversary of Shay’s death approaches, chicago fire fans took to Twitter to share their love for the character. “Still waiting for his appearance,” tweeted one hopeful viewer amid all the touching tributes.