If you’ve been following his character’s time in Firehouse 51 from the start, you may have a lot of questions over whether Taylor Kinney is leaving Chicago Fire again and what could happen to Kelly Severide in Season 12.Chicago Fire is NBC’s drama series following the professional and personal lives of firefighters, rescue personnel and paramedics of the Chicago Fire Department’s fictional Firehouse 51. Kinney made his debut as Lieutenant Kelly Severide, a lieutenant at Firehouse 51 and an officer in charge of Squad 3, in season 1 of Chicago Fire in 2012.
Kinney revealed in an interview with NBC in 2023 that he did’t have any “anxiety” before his audition for Chicago Fire. “I was in the circuit of auditioning a lot, so I was decent at it”, he said. “I remember never having any anxiety. I was excited about it, and then you kind of leave it up to the powers that be.” He continued, “[The audition] went well, and 10 years later I’m still here bugging you through your televisions while you fold laundry.”He also looked back on his jobs before his acting career, which included carrying golf clubs. “I carried golf clubs for older women who didn’t know how to play golf,” he said. “It was frustrating, but I would make enough money to buy a medium, thin-crust pizza from Pizza Hut and rent a Blockbuster movie for a Saturday night. Thanks, old ladies!”After more than a decade as Lieutenant Severide in Chicago Fire, news broke that Kinney was exiting the series in early 2023. He went on to return in Season 12, however, he left again in Episode 3. So… is Taylor Kinney leaving Chicago Fire and what happened to Kelly Severide? Read on for what we know about if Taylor Kinney is Chicago Fire again and whether this time is for good.Is Taylor Kinney leaving Chicago Fire again?Is Taylor Kinney leaving Chicago Fire again? It’s possible. While Kinney hasn’t confirmed his exit from Chicago Fire, showrunner Andrea Newman hinted in an interview with Parade in January 2024 that a main character could be leaving the series.
If Kinney was to leave Chicago Fire, he would be the third series regular to exit the show after Kara Kilmer (who plays Sylvie Brett) and Alberto Rosdende (who plays Blake Gallo.) Rosende left Chicago Fire in the Season 12 premiere, while Killmer is also set to leave this season following her character’s wedding to Matt Casey (played by original cast member Jesse Spencer, who left Chicago Fire in Season 10.
“Some major decisions will be made by all three characters—Kidd, Severide and Cruz—in episode 3, and by the end of it, one of them will be heading out of Chicago,” Newman told Parade. Newsman’s comment referenced Severide’s feud with Joe Cruz (played by Joe Minoso) in Season 12, Episode 2, “Call Me McHolland.” The feud was over Cruz, who was a temporary lieutenant while Severide was gone in Season 11, calling out Severide for his lack of respect toward Cruz since coming back to Firehouse 51.Severide leaves Chicago Fire again in Season 12, Episode 3, “Trapped,” which sees him receive a priority overnight envelope from Tuscon about an arson case with the ATF. The episode continues with Captain Tom Van Meter, a commander and arson investigator, trying to convince Severide to pick up his arson investigation career again.
After Severide’s wife, Stella Kidd, confronts him about the letter, Severide tries to convince her to allow him to pursue arson investigation, explaining that he could one day run the OFI. Severide also tells Kidd that he wants to show her that he can investigate an arson case out of Chicago and still come back home to her, un
Severide tells Kidd that he wants to show her that he can handle an arson investigation case and still come back home to her, unlike his abrupt absence in Season 11. He promises, however, that he won’t pursue the case if she’s not OK with it. Eventually, Kidd gives him her blessing. “That’s the plan,” she said. “But if you go MIA on me again, if you leave me in the dark.” “I know,” Severide responds. In the final scene of the episode, Severide reassures Kidd that he’ll be back “soon” as they kiss goodbye.
