Demore Barnes Is Returning to Law and Order: SVU After Surprise Exit

The Deputy Chief is back.

A source close to production on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit confirms to E! News that Demore Barnes will reprise his role as Christian Garland in an upcoming episode of season 23.

The actor teased his return to the NBC series on March 21, captioning an Instagram pic, "What? You didn't think there'd be an encore? #svu #christiangarland #notallheroeswearcapes #seeyousoon."

Barnes' last SVU episode was the season 23 premiere episode, "Never Turn Your Back on Them," which aired on Sept. 23, 2021. His character decided to quit his role as Deputy Chief of the Special Victims Unit His character decided to quit his role as deputy chief of the special victims unit after Chief Tommy McGrath (Terry Serpico) admonished him for speaking out against police misconduct.

At the time, Barnes told his Instagram followers, "I don't totally know why this has happened."

Even so, the actor expressed gratitude to Dick Wolf Entertainment for casting him, saying he's "so very proud to have played the first Black deputy chief in SVU history."

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Barnes wasn't the only star surprised to be written off the series. Jamie Gray Hyder's character, Det. Kat Tamin—the squad's first bisexual Lebanese-American cop—also resigned from the SVU in reaction to the department's handling of police misconduct.

Following her departure, Hyder tweeted, "The decision was made above my pay grade and wouldn't have been my choice. But hey, that's showbiz for ya."

"To anyone who felt represented by any part of Kat's being or mission," she continued, "please know you will always have representation in me."

Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays on NBC.

(E! News and NBC are both members of the NBCUniversal family.)

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