‘Chicago Fire’ Star Joe Miñoso Opens Up About the Grief of Saying Goodbye to Joe Cruz
‘Chicago Fire’ has seen plenty of familiar faces leave Firehouse 51 over the years, but Joe Miñoso’s exit hits differently. Miñoso has played Joe Cruz since the very first episode, recurring in Season 1 and becoming a series regular the following year.
He was also part of a shrinking group. Miñoso was one of only 4 original cast members still on the show, along with Taylor Kinney, David Eigenberg, and Christian Stolte. His departure was first reported over the summer, and Season 15 set Cruz’s exit in motion by sidelining him with a major on-the-job injury that put his future as a firefighter in doubt.
Now that the goodbye has finally aired, Miñoso is opening up about what it meant to let the character go. Speaking to USA TODAY, he explained that after 15 years spent living inside someone else’s skin, there was no way he wouldn’t feel some level of grief as he said farewell to Cruz.
The send-off came during a major milestone. Miñoso made his final appearance as Cruz in the show’s 300th episode, which aired Wednesday, November 4 on NBC. Rather than a tragic ending, Cruz got a hopeful one.
In his final episode, Cruz’s wife gives birth to twins, and he ultimately tells Severide that he won’t be returning to Firehouse 51 and has decided to move to Minneapolis. He wasn’t killed off, leaving the door open for a potential return.
O último chamado de Joe Minoso 🥹💔 #ChicagoFire #OneChicago https://t.co/yurgtMDA58
— One Chicago Brasil (@braonechicago) November 5, 2026
The exit didn’t come from Miñoso himself. Like many of the biggest cast shakeups in the One Chicago franchise, the writers ultimately decided to write him out and bring Cruz’s journey to a natural end.
Over a decade of memories at Firehouse 51. The #ChicagoFire cast reflects on Joe Miñoso’s emotional final season and his incredible legacy. ❤️🔥🚒 https://t.co/e8l6sT4UpZ
— DISH (@dish) November 5, 2026
He found out in an especially poignant way. Cruz’s exit arc began in the Season 14 finale, when a devastating warehouse fire left the character with a spinal injury, and Miñoso learned about his departure on his final day of filming that season. He recalled staring at his photo and thinking it wouldn’t be there much longer.
Still, he has made peace with it. Miñoso told TVLine that even though the decision was made for him, “there was something in me that felt it was time to move on,” adding, “This feels like the right time,” once the twins storyline came into play.
Fans worried that Cruz might be killed off, and the idea was apparently on the table. Miñoso said that version wouldn’t necessarily have been “a disservice,” but he felt the story they built was “a great service to the character.”
We live for these Stellaride moments. 🤭 Chicago Fire Wednesdays on NBC and next day on Peacock. https://t.co/9uDixF7hHF
— One Chicago (@NBCOneChicago) October 31, 2026
He’s clearly proud of how it played out. He described Cruz’s ending as “a really touching, beautiful exit” and said “I considered it an honor and a joy,” thanking the producers for trusting him.
The farewell also gave Miñoso a meaningful final moment with a longtime co-star. The 300th episode features an emotional goodbye scene between Cruz and Chief Kelly Severide, played by Taylor Kinney, which Miñoso called the single most memorable emotional scene he ever filmed with Kinney. He noted that “that was the last thing we shot.”
There’s some good news for fans who aren’t ready to let go. Miñoso will continue to be part of the show as a director later this season, which has always been his dream. He called the opportunity a timely and appropriate evolution and expects to direct his first episode later this season. After 15 seasons, Cruz may be heading to Minneapolis, but Miñoso’s connection to ‘Chicago Fire’ is far from over.
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