The “Law & Order: SVU” squad is about to lose two members. Jamie Gray Hyder and Demore Barnes, who play Officer Kat Tamin and Deputy Chief Christian Garland, will both exit the NBC procedural at the start of its upcoming 23rd season, EW has learned. Both actors will depart in the two-hour season premiere, airing later this month. Hyder released a statement addressing the news on her Instagram account on Saturday, writing, “It is with a heavy heart that I confirm Kat’s departure from the squad room. “To anyone who felt represented by any part of Kat’s being or mission, please know that you will always have representation in me,” she added. A representative for NBC declined to comment. Both Hyder and Barnes first appeared on “SVU” in season 21, with the latter being promoted to series regular in season 22. Hyder’s Kat, who is bisexual, was the second LGBTQ main character on the show, after B.D. Wong’s Dr. George Huang. TV’s longest-running live-action prime-time series, “Law & Order: SVU” is renewed at NBC through season 24. The show scored its best ratings since 2016 earlier this year with the return of Christopher Meloni’s Elliot Stabler, who appeared as part of a crossover with his new series “Law & Order: Organized Crime.” Viewers can expect Stabler to pop up on “SVU” a lot more often going forward, as showrunner Ilene Chaiken previously teased to EW. “We’re now part of an entire night of ‘Law & Order.’ It offers us a lot of opportunities to intersect our stories,” Chaiken said. “One of the things I think will work better for us in this upcoming season is that our shows are all starting at the same time. We will be more or less on the same schedule. So we’ll be able to coordinate better and plan these events better.” “Law & Order: SVU” and “Organized Crime” return on September 23, on NBC. (SD-Agencies) | 