‘Chicago Fire’ Star Taylor Kinney Taking Leave of Absence from the Show

ChiHards received some stunning news today. Taylor Kinney, a fan favorite who plays Kelly Severide on Chicago Fire, is taking a break from the NBC drama.

Kinney has starred as firefighter Kelly Severide on the Dick Wolf procedural since its launch in 2012. A source close to the production confirmed to Deadline that Kinney is taking a leave of absence to deal with a personal matter. It remains unclear how long his leave will last or whether it’s temporary or permanent.

Cast and crew were informed of Kinney’s leave earlier Friday. It is likely that future scripts will have to be rewritten to accommodate Kinney’s absence, according to Deadline.

Taylor has been a fan favorite from the beginning. Kinney has been nominated three times for a People’s Choice Award for his work on the series. He won in 2015. Here is a quick look back at his acceptance speech for the award…

Kinney’s character Kelly Severide is a member of Rescue Squad 3. His character had been woven into his share of romances over the first ten seasons of the show, but has recently been in a more stable relationship with Stella Kidd, played by Miranda Rae Mayo. They were married in an epic wedding ceremony at the end of season 10.

Jesse Spencer, who exited the series in 2021 after a decade on the firefighter drama, returned to stand alongside Kinney for Season 10 finale titled “The Magnificent City of Chicago” that aired last May.

Here’s a look back at the Stellaride wedding…

In one final clip for this article, Kinney and fellow cast members recount their favorite episodes from the show’s storied run, which continues to go strong and lead the ratings charge for NBC on Wednesday nights…

New episodes of Chicago Fire are back February 8th on NBC.

Click here to catch up on current and past seasons of Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med.

Check back here at SCREEN for the latest news on the One Chicago trio of superb shows. You can also click right here to subscribe to our weekly email newsletter.

Photo Credit: Adrian S. Burrows Sr./NBC