S.W.A.T. Star Jay Harrington Addresses Exclusion from Confirmed 'Exiles' Spinoff

Jay Harrington, who played Sergeant David "Deacon" Kay on CBS's S.W.A.T., expressed surprise and mixed feelings about the new spinoff S.W.A.T. Exiles, which will star only Shemar Moore reprising his role as Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson Jr. Harrington revealed he had no prior knowledge of the spinoff development and found out about it from Moore the day before the official announcement, with no formal communication from the studio beforehand. While he felt stung by being excluded from the new project, Harrington emphasized he did not feel "owed" anything despite his eight years on the original show and wished the spinoff success. He underscored a desire for more transparency from the studio but accepted the decision to start fresh with a new cast. The announcement and Moore's return received mixed reactions from the original cast, who had hoped to continue as a team.