Shemar Moore was the only cast member to be cast in the S.W.A.T. spinoff — but what has everyone else said about being excluded?
S.W.A.T., which premiered in 2017, built a solid fanbase as viewers tuned in every week to see 20 Squad take on the newest crisis. Throughout the seasons, the cast evolved but Moore, Jay Harrington, David Lim and Patrick St. Esprit remained on our screens as S.W.A.T. faced multiple cancellations.
By the final season, S.W.A.T had been canceled twice and wrapped up with Moore, Harrington, Lim and Esprit at the center alongside newbies Anna Enger Ritch, Annie Ilonzeh and Niko Pepaj. The entire cast advocated for S.W.A.T. to return, which it did when Sony Pictures Television picked up a spinoff titled S.W.A.T. Exiles days after the series finale.
The news was met with criticism though when fans questioned why Moore was the only one to reprise his character. Moore defended the decision to return without the rest of the cast by his side.
“Nobody likes change. I understand that. I get it 100 percent. But without change, you can’t grow. You can’t win without taking your lumps,” he explained in a May 2025 Instagram video. “It ain’t easy making it in the game of Hollywood. It ain’t. TV shows don’t last eight years anymore. The game has changed. But S.W.A.T. Exiles, baby! S.W.A.T. Exiles. Bigger, bolder. S.W.A.T. on steroids.”
He continued: “I’m not saying I’m Tom Brady, but I’m the Tom Brady of S.W.A.T. That’s not arrogant. That’s not ego. It’s a fact. I’m the quarterback. I’m Shemar Moore a.k.a Hondo. But I had a squad. A strong squad. A family. A team. And I would be remiss If I didn’t say out loud to the world and to them — because I know they’re watching this — I love you. I respect you. I appreciate you.”
The rest of the S.W.A.T team initially remained silent on the exclusion. Lim was the first to break his silence while applauding his former costars for their dedication to the show.
“I’m proud of how we fought for a ninth season. We believed we still had more to give, more stories to tell. We wanted it for our crew, for each other, and for the newer faces just joining us,” he wrote via Instagram that same month. “It wasn’t in the cards for all of us — and that’s okay. We had a magical run and went out on a high note with those final two episodes.”
Lim acknowledged that he wasn’t thrilled to hear about Sony Television Pictures ordering S.W.A.T. Exiles with only Moore attached to appear.
“I’d be lying if I said the rollout of the new spinoff didn’t sting. It was tough to see it announced just two days after our finale — with no mention of the cast who helped build S.W.A.T. from day one,” he continued. “After 8 incredible seasons, it felt like we were brushed aside when there could’ve been a moment of reflection and recognition — for the people who built this show, and for the impact it had on so many.”
Other S.W.A.T. stars have since subtly weighed in on the shocking news. Keep scrolling for everything the S.W.A.T. cast has said about not being brought back for Exiles:
“I’ve been sitting with everything that came out last week, and I just want to say this,” Lim, who played Tan, wrote via Instagram in May 2025. “Being a part of S.W.A.T. for the past 8 seasons has been one of the great honors of my life. I poured my heart into playing Tan — and even more than that, into the team and friendships we built on and off screen.”
Lim reflected on the group dynamic behind the scenes, adding, “What made S.W.A.T. special wasn’t just the action, or one character. It was the squad. The bond. The camaraderie. The shared blood, sweat, tears, and laughs we gave to every episode. That effortless chemistry was there from the very first day we came together for the pilot, and it carried through all 8 seasons.”
Annie Ilonzeh
In response to Lim’s message, Ilonzeh showed her support, writing, “Very well said David????????????.” Ilonzeh, who joined the show in the final season as Gamble, previously spoke about the cast’s efforts to revive S.W.A.T together.
“We are crossing our fingers. So there is a particular discussion being had. I hope I can say [soon] that we really did it. We rallied for a third time,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in April 2025. “But we’re making noise. They do see it — producers and streamers that are interested — they are like, ‘OK, this is something.’ So if we can plug and play, we’re all geared up to go. We don’t want this ride to be over.”
Ilonzeh noted that if S.W.A.T. was to receive another renewal, a ninth season would be the last, adding, “I was just talking to [my costar] Shemar [Moore] yesterday and he was like, ‘If we do this for a third time — whenever we do get canceled again — I will be OK with it. I’m not fighting for a fourth [time] because we really did it and we end on that.’ We will end on the fight and the win and relish in all of this and squeeze the life out of it. We will know that we did it, we did our job and we can walk away happy campers.”
Niko Pepaj
Pepaj, who also joined in the final season, replied to Lim’s post, writing, “Love you brother.”
Harrington, who played Deacon since season 1, replied with multiple fist bump emojis to Lim’s statement about the shakeup.
After being promoted to main cast in the final season, Ritch sent Lim a heart emoji for speaking out about them not being a part of the next show in the S.W.A.T. franchise.
Rochelle Aytes
While Aytes previously stepped away from S.W.A.T. to join Watson, she still weighed in on Lim’s public statement, writing, “Beautifully said!! Here’s to an amazing 8 years! May your next journey be just as incredible if not more!! ❤️❤️????????????????.”
