Taylor Kinney’s absence is being addressed by Chicago Fire.
While Kinney’s character, Lieutenant Kelly Severide, was not present in the season 11 episode titled “Damage Control,” his wife Stella felt his absence very much. Stella is first seen at their vacant apartment at the beginning of the episode while Severide is away in Alabama attending an arson investigation training.
The last-minute chance was simply too excellent for Severide to pass up, OFI head Van Meter explained to Boden, who was understandably distraught that he had lost one of his best firefighters with only one day’s notice. Van Meter also made an effort to diffuse the situation by assuring Boden that Severide’s enrollment in the program does not imply that he will transfer to OFI and completely depart the firehouse.
While Brett noted that she doesn’t envy Stella’s predicament because she is aware of how challenging it is to sustain a long-distance relationship, the rest of the crew was thrilled for Severide.
The episode’s events follow last week’s Chicago Fire episode, in which Severide appeared to have received a troubling text message about his Office of Fire Investigation supervisor, Van Meter, on his phone. He showed her his screen as Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) enquired about the situation and asked him what he was going to do.
A source close to production told ET on Jan. 20 that Kinney, who has starred in the NBC firefighter drama since its premiere in 2012, would be taking a leave of absence to handle a personal matter. Kinney’s unexpected departure from Chicago Fire was made public.
Even though there were no specifics given about the circumstances of his departure, the news was unexpected. According to Deadline, the cast and crew were informed about Kinney’s unexpected departure earlier in the day, and the scripts were changed and rewritten to account for it.
Kinney’s absence from the show is not yet known to be a permanent one.
After Brian Tee’s farewell to Chicago Med last year, Jesse Lee Soffer’s resignation from Chicago P.D. in 2022, and Jesse Spencer’s departure from Chicago Fire in 2021, there have been many changes recently for the OneChicago universe.