‘Chicago Fire’ Star Taylor Kinney to Return After Hiatus

The actor who plays Kelly Severide took a break from the NBC procedural earlier this year

Taylor Kinney in "Chicago Fire" (NBC)
"Chicago Fire" (NBC)

Taylor Kinney will be returning to “Chicago Fire” after a brief hiatus from the show, TheWrap has learned.

Kinney, who stars as Kelly Severide, will come back to the NBC procedural series at the beginning of Season 12, according to an individual close to production, whose premiere date is unknown amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.

The news comes over six months after Kinney took a break from the NBC show due to a personal matter, per reports at the time. In late January, cast and crew members were notified of Kinney’s absence.

Season 11 of “Chicago Fire,” which is part of the “One Chicago” universe alongside “Chicago P.D.” and “Chicago Med,” ran from Sept. 21, 2022 through May 24, 2023. Amid his leave of absence, Kinney did not return for the Season 11 finale.

In addition to Kinney, the series rounds out its cast with Jesse Spencer, who plays Matthew Casey, Kara Killmer, who plays Sylvie Brett, Monica Raymund, who plays Grabiela Dawson, Miranda Rae Mayo, who plays Stella Kidd, Eamonn Walker, who plays Wallace Boden, and Joe Minoso, who plays Joe Cruz.

First premiering on Oct.12, 2012, “Chicago Fire” centers on a group of firefighters, rescue squad and paramedics who serve their communities from Chicago Firehouse 51. 

Kinney has played Kelly since the series premiere, making him one of the few “Chicago Fire” original cast members, alongside Spencer, Walker, Raymund and Minoso, among others. During his time in the franchise, Kinney has also appeared on spin-offs “Chicago Med,” “Chicago P.D.” as well as “Chicago Justice.”

“Chicago Fire” isn’t the only “One Chicago” show going through some casting shifts, as news broke last week that “Chicago P.D.” star Tracy Spiridakos, who has played Hailey Upton since joining the series in its fourth season in 2017, will leave the show after the conclusion of Season 11.

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