\n Taylor Kinney attends The \u201cChicago Med\u201d Photo call, June 2022.<\/span> Aventurier Patrick\/ABACA\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Pressing pause. Taylor Kinney<\/strong><\/a> is taking a leave of absence from Chicago Fire<\/em><\/a> after 11 seasons.<\/p>\n The Pennsylvania native, 41, is temporarily stepping back from the NBC drama to deal with a personal matter, Deadline<\/a> reported on Friday, January 20.<\/p>\n Kinney has played Lieutenant Kelly Severide<\/a> since the show\u2019s 2012 premiere \u2014 and is one of the handful of original cast members who still appears on every episode. The cast and crew reportedly learned of the actor\u2019s leave on Friday, according to the outlet. Variety<\/em><\/a> also confirmed Kinney\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n NBC has yet to comment on the reports \u2014 or reveal how the Vampire Diaries<\/em><\/a> alum will be written out of the show for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n Chicago Fire<\/em><\/a>, which is currently airing season 11, has seen a lot of cast shakeups over the past decade<\/a>. Some of the biggest losses came when the writers killed off Leslie Shay (Lauren German<\/strong><\/a>) during season 3 and Brian \u201cOtis\u201d Zvonecek (Yuriy Sardarov<\/strong><\/a>) on season 8.<\/p>\n Jesse Spencer<\/strong><\/a>, who portrayed Lieutenant Matthew Casey from day one, surprised fans in October 2021 when announced his exit from the long-running drama.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been doing TV for a long time. I added it up, and I think this year is my 18th year of network television straight since I went straight from House<\/em> into Chicago Fire<\/em>,\u201d Spencer, 43, told Us Weekly<\/em> and other reporters<\/a> at the time. \u201cIt was a difficult decision because I\u2019ve loved this show from the start, but there\u2019s other things that I would love to do in the future and there\u2019s some family that I need to take care of. 18 years is a long time. That\u2019s a long stretch.\u201d<\/p>\n The Australian actor returned for the season 10 finale<\/a> in May 2022. His character, Casey, made his comeback to stand by Severide\u2019s side when he married Stella Kidd<\/a> (Miranda Rae Mayo<\/strong><\/a>).<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a special,\u201d Kinney exclusively told Us<\/em>\u00a0in May 2022<\/a> of filming the wedding episode. \u201cIt was a family affair. It was a big event.\u201d<\/p>\n The Zero Dark Thirty<\/em> actor also gushed over being part of the Dick Wolf<\/strong> family<\/a> as he entered season 11. (The series was renewed for seasons 9, 10 and 11 in February 2020. Its fate for season 12 has yet to be announced<\/a>.)<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s never lost on me how special it is to be a part of something with [the] longevity this has, and it\u2019s a testament to Dick Wolf [and] the team of people that he puts together,\u201d Kinney told Us<\/em>. \u201cI\u2019m excited for season 11. I\u2019m not privy to script\u2019s information of where they\u2019re going with it.\u201d<\/p>\n In November 2022, Chicago Fire<\/em> received another major change when showrunner Derek Haas<\/strong> announced he is exiting the NBC series<\/a> and leaving Wolf Entertainment after 10 years. He noted he would finish out his obligations on the remaining season 11 episodes.<\/p>\n![\"\u2018Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/%E2%80%98Chicago-Fire-Star-Taylor-Kinney-Is-Taking-a-Leave-of-Absence-From-Show-After-11-Seasons-Reports-2.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Kinney at the 61st Monte Carlo TV Festival, June 2022.<\/span> Laurent VU\/SIPA\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n