What's Happening With Taylor Kinney's Career After Chicago Fire Exit?
Looks like the star might be done with his acting career.
When Chicago Fire premiered on NBC in 2012, it had a huge acting ensemble, with Jesse Spencer and Taylor Kinney being the main reason many people decided to tune in to Dick Wolf's latest television blockbuster. However, more than a decade later, the show found itself without both Spencer and Kinney, with the latter abruptly leaving production midway through, citing personal reasons.
Since then, fans have been clamoring for an update on Kinney's personal life, but the actor has kept a low profile after his January departure.
Neither NBC representatives nor Dick Wolf himself have commented on Taylor Kinney's sudden exit, as the show continues to produce without its biggest star. And while fans are still invested in other Chicago Fire characters, it's just not as rewarding to watch the show without Kinney's Kelly Severide. So when is he coming back?
Sadly, it looks like the actor has no intention of returning to the show that made him famous, as his production schedule is reportedly still clear of any projects. Perhaps Kinney has suffered some kind of breakdown and decided that acting doesn't make him feel better. But in that case, his longtime fans certainly deserve to hear about the end of the actor's career from him, not from gossip and rumors.
In any case, NBC decided to renew Chicago Fire for a 12th season even without any news about Kinney's involvement. However, the fact that Jesse Spencer's Matthew Casey returned in the final episode of last season means that Wolf and NBC are willing to do whatever it takes to save their show, possibly even inviting Spencer back for the entire upcoming season.
Also, after NBC decided to delay the release of the new season due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, fans began to feel that Kinney may come back to the show after all, as he can get his rest during the strikes and return as Severide fully healed and refreshed.
Taylor Kinney's radio silence for more than half a year is certainly troubling, but perhaps the actor simply needs some alone time to regroup and return to Chicago Fire in full glory.