Fans Are Obsessed With "New Girl" Annie Ilonzeh on 'S.W.A.T.' Season 8

In July 2024, it was announced that a new police officer would be joining the force on the CBS series S.W.A.T.

Season 8, Episode 1 saw the debut of Annie Ilonzeh's character Devin Gamble, who Hondo (Shemar Moore) brought on as the newest member of 20-Squad,

According to Deadline, Gamble "was born into an L.A. family deeply entrenched in crime, leaving her with a fierce determination to break free of her blood legacy. She thought she’d achieved that, becoming a standout as an LAPD rookie… until her father’s arrest for a heinous crime cast a shadow Gamble could only escape by leaving LA for the Oakland PD."

So, what do we know about Annie? Keep reading to find out.

If Annie looks familiar to you, it's probably because you recognize her from her role as Emily Foster on Chicago Fire.

She was on the NBC show from 2018 to 2020. Annie has an impressive filmography. Along with S.W.A.T. and Chicago Fire, she has appeared on several popular TV series including Arrow, Person of Interest, and Empire.

However, she is especially excited about her new role on S.W.A.T.

"The moment I got on the set, and they said 'action,' I was in a whole other land... That’s a true testament that SWAT is unique. I’m not just saying this for this interview, it almost makes me really emotional," she told TV Insider. "To have the jitters, the excitement, the adrenaline rush, the happiness, the chaos, but the magic swirling in this tornado — there’s nothing like it. This is everything I love."

Annie's father is Nigerian and of Igbo descent while her mother is white. She frequently posts photos on her Instagram page from her trips to Nigeria, and she has spoken about her interracial upbringing.

"I come from an interracial family: My father is from Nigeria, and so he is African-American, and my mother is American and white, so I rarely see skin color. It's never an issue for me," she told The Huffington Post after being cast as the first Black Charlie's Angel in 2011.

She also explained how her role in All Eyes on Me as Tupac's partner Kidada Jones was connected to her Nigerian culture.

"My dad's Nigerian, and I remember going to Nigeria, and all of these kids and adults and everyone in-between knew who TuPac was. They had TuPac t-shirts, TuPac posters, TuPac cassettes... everyone knew TuPac, and sometimes that was the only English that they spoke, was TuPac lyrics," she said per

While it looks like Annie is currently single, she was rumored to be dating former Los Angeles Lakers player Shaquille O'Neal.

They were first spotted together in 2019. Annie has never publicly confirmed her relationship with Shaq, but the retired athlete is still following Annie's Instagram page.

Watch Annie on S.W.A.T. Fridays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.