A source confirmed Chicago Fire’s Taylor Kinney was taking a break from the series in January. Now, producers have included a new plot twist to explain his character’s absence from the show.
Chicago Fire is an American television drama series that premiered on NBC on October 10, 2012. The series chronicles the lives of firefighters, rescue personnel, and paramedics of the Chicago Fire Department at the fictitious Firehouse 51.
Actor Taylor Kinney is one of the original cast members of the show, and he portrays the character Lt. Kelly Severide. Chicago Fire is in its eleventh season, and Kinney’s character has become an integral part of the series.
Kinney’s character has also featured in NBC’s different One Chicago spinoffs, including “Chicago P.D.” and “Chicago Med.” After many years on the series, Chicago Fire’s Taylor Kinney has taken a first-ever leave of absence.
Earlier in the year, a source close to production told PEOPLE, Kinney would be taking a break from the show to “deal with a personal matter.”
How Chicago Fire Explained Taylor Kinney's Absence from the Show https://t.co/JoVTFeUZQP
— People (@people) March 2, 2023
Taylor Kinney’s Chicago Fire Absence
Taylor Kinney’s Chicago Fire Absence had already been muted since January. So it wasn’t a surprise when he was absent on Wednesday’s episode of the show titled “Damage Control.”
During the episode, it was discovered that Kinney’s character Lt. Kelly Severide was attending “the best arson investigation training program in the world.”
Severide was not featured in the episode but his character’s wife Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) felt his absence in their empty apartment.
Also, Capt. Tom Van Meter (Tim Hopper) revealed the program invite came at the last minute. As expected, Severide couldn’t pass up such a great opportunity.
Severide’s absence left the department short and Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) wasn’t happy about losing one of his best men. However, Van Meter quickly assures him that Severide’s absence was only temporary.
Severide’s departure comes on the back of last week’s episode, where he appeared to get a message about Van Meter. After showing his wife the message, she asked him what he was going to do about it.
The episode ended on a cliffhanger, and fans may have to wait a little longer to find out the content of the message. For now, fans can only send their best wishes to Chicago Fire’s Taylor Kinney.