Television
Taylor Kinney taking leave of absence from ‘Chicago Fire’
The actor has portrayed Lieutenant Kelly Severide for all 11 seasons of ‘Chicago Fire’ since the show made its debut back in 2012.
‘Chicago Fire’ will look a bit different following news that Taylor Kinney is taking a leave of absence from the NBC firefighter drama.
The 41-year-old has been a key part of the procedural since it made its debut back in 2012, playing Lt. Kelly Severide. He’s just one of five original cast members to have featured in all 11 seasons of the drama.
Deadline reports Kinney is dealing with a personal matter and that the cast and crew have been informed of the news, which could result in scripts being re-written.
Kinney has been nominated for the role
Severide is a member of Rescue Squad 3, and was known for being a ladies man in the drama. However, the character has settled into married life after tying the knot with Stella Kidd, played by Miranda Rae, at the end of Season 10.
That episode saw Jesse Spence, who left the series in 2021 after spending a decade on the drama, return to stand with Kinney.
The 41-year-old has been nominated for three People’s Choice Awards for his work as Kinney, winning in 2015.
Kinney happy to work in Chicago
Kinney, who has reprised his role on ‘Chicago PD’, ‘Chicago Med’ and ‘Chicago Justice’, celebrated the series’ 200-episode milestone back in 2021, sharing how important the crew have been to him.
“I think that speaks volumes to the leadership from the top down,” said Kinney. “It’s genuine, we all really get along. There’s no bad apples. It really has become like a surrogate family.”
He also spoke with ‘Today’ and expressed how happy he was to work in Chicago.
“I’ve been here over a decade, and the city has been good to me,” he previously said. “I’ve gotten to know it through my work: southside, north, westside. We’ve done scenes on the lake. The city has been good to me. I love this city.”
New episodes of Season 11 of ‘Chicago Fire’ resume on February 8 on NBC and stars David Eigenberg, Eamonn Walker, Christian Stolte, Joe Minoso, Kara Killmer, Miranda Rae Mayo, Alberto Rosende, Hanako Greensmith, and Daniel Kyri.