Hondo's Solo Trip to Mexico Might Seal Shemar Moore's Fate on 'S.W.A.T'

We first met Sergeant Daniel Harrelson Jr., affectionately known as Hondo, in the series premiere of S.W.A.T. and it seems like he hasn’t taken a break from protecting the public since. Although Hondo has gone head-to-head with plenty of bad guys in his day, his solo trek over the border is a whole new ballgame.

The Season 5 premiere of S.W.A.T. reveals the aftermath of the events that occurred in the season finale, which left Hondo stuck between a rock and a hard place. In Episode 1, Hondo finds himself in a foreign country. But why is Hondo in Mexico again?

Art often imitates life, and this was exactly the case in Season 4 of S.W.A.T. Amid the protests against police brutality happening across the country, the CBS series tackled the topic of racism within the justice system.

After discovering the gross misbehavior of a few rogue police officers, Hondo is given a choice — he can either stand by and watch bad cops get away with their crimes, or leak the story to the press and risk losing his job. In true Hondo fashion, he chooses the latter.

Hondo’s decision to snitch on his fellow boys in blue lands him in trouble with the higher-ups, who threaten to make his life miserable if he doesn’t quit. In the wake of the controversy, Hondo skips town and retreats to Mexico, where even more trouble awaits him.

Although Hondo leaves the country in an attempt to relax, he finds himself right back at work after he meets Delfina, a local who inherited her father’s farm after his death. Delfina has a long-standing quarrel with A.J. Novak, the man who we later learn is responsible for her kidnapping.

Apparently, Hondo couldn’t stop saving lives even if his own life depended on it, which is exactly why he will always hold a special place in our hearts. But after Hondo’s demotion, rumors suggest that he might be making his exit from the series sooner than we expected.

Now, inquiring minds are dying to know — is Shemar Moore leaving S.W.A.T.?

Although his trip to Mexico could be deadly, there is no indication that Hondo’s story is coming to an end anytime soon. Despite rumors, Shemar Moore hasn’t shown any signs that he’s leaving the series.

Following the Season 5 premiere, the actor spoke to the hosts of Access Daily about how it feels to walk in Samuel L. Jackson’s footsteps.

“How are you going to follow Sam Jackson? I mean, I’m not. I’m just not going to do that… I’m going to do the Shemar Moore Hondo.” Shemar shared, “I’m just going to drop my voice, show these abs and let these S-curl eyebrows do what they do.”

You can see Shamar on new episodes of S.W.A.T Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.