‘Chicago Fire’: Taylor Kinney Takes Leave Of Absence From Show

Taylor Kinney on Chicago Fire / YouTube

Chicago Fire star Taylor Kinney will take a leave of absence from the hit NBC series. He has been the biggest star on the show since its premiere in 2012. However, this move is not meant to be permanent.

Here is why Taylor is leaving the hit show and when he might return.

Taylor Kinney leaving Chicago Fire

Deadline reported that Taylor Kinney will take a leave of absence from the show. According to the report, he will be out of action to deal with a personal matter. The production team informed the cast and crew of his absence and scripts are being readjusted to deal with writing his character out of the show for now.

Kinney, 41, has played firefighter Lieutenant Kelly Severide on Chicago Fire since the show premiered in 2012. The series is in the middle of Season 11 right now. More so, the showrunners have not indicated what they plan to do to write him out of the show for now. It just returned from its mid-season break with an explosive moment.

Taylor Kinney on Chicago Fire / YouTube

Stella, Sam Carver, and Seth Pryma all made it out of a deadly explosion alive, and viewers might wonder if another deadly event might be what takes Kelly out of action. The good news is that this is a leave of absence, so his character won’t die, although a serious injury could be in the works for the Lieutenant. Chicago Fire fans have to hope that nothing will happen with his new wife, Lieutenant Stella Kidd after the two married in the Season 10 finale.

Kinney just spoke about his role on Chicago Fire

The news comes just one week after Taylor Kinney did an interview with NBC about being on Chicago Fire for over 10 seasons now. “My first audition for Chicago Fire? I was in the circuit of auditioning a lot, so I was decent at it.” Kinney continued, “I remember never having any anxiety. I was excited about it, and then you kind of leave it up to the powers that be.”

Kinney then finished by saying, “It went well, and 10 years later I’m still here bugging you through your televisions while you fold laundry.”

Taylor Kinney on Chicago Fire / YouTube

It also isn’t surprising to see long-time cast members leave a show – even if they were considered the leads. Mark Harmon was the main lead on NCIS as special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs since the franchise started. However, Harmon left the show in 2021 after 19 seasons. For 12 years, Christopher Meloni was one of the two lead actors in Law & Order: SVU, but he left the show and it has continued on without him for another 12 years and counting.

Will you miss Taylor Kinney on Chicago Hope? What are some of your favorite moments of his on the show? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Shawn Lealos
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3 Comments

  1. We will miss his special character. He has a natural charismatic presence. I hope all goes well for him. 🙏🏼

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