When life imitates art. David Eigenberg’s hearing loss in real life mirrors Herrmann’s Chicago Fire Season 12 storyline in more ways the one. Chicago Fire is NBC’s drama following the personal and professional lives of firefighters and paramedics at the Chicago Fire Department’s fictional Firehouse 51. The series — which premiered in 2012 and is created by Dick Wolf, the same mind behind the Law & Order and FBI series — is the first show in NBC’s One Chicago franchise, which also includes Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med.
Eigenberg has played Christopher Herrmann, a Senior Firefighter at Firehouse 51 and member of Engine 51, since Season 1 of Chicago Fire. He is one of five original cast members still on the series, along with Taylor Kinney (Kelly Severide); Christian Stolte (Randall “Mouch” McHolland); Eamonn Walker (Chief Wallace Boden0; and Joe Minoso (Joe Cruz).
Herrmann was injured in the Season 12 premiere after a box rigged by an arsonist exploded and launched him in the air. Viewers learned that there was something wrong with Herrmann’s health in the following episode when he started concerning other Firehouse 51 members with his impaired hearing. As it turns out, the storyline mirrors David Eigenberg’s hearing loss in real life. Read on for what happened to David Eigenberg’s hearing and how Chicago Fire isn’t the first show to write in the actor’s real-life health issues.
What happened with David Eigenberg’s hearing?
What happened with David Eigenberg’s hearing? Eigenberg’s Chicago Fire character Christopher Herrmann started exemplifying symptoms of hearing loss in Season 12, Episode 2, “Call Me McHolland,” when Darren Ritter tries to talk to Herrmann at the firehouse and Herrmann doesn’t hear him. “What’s going on with you?” Ritter asks Herrmann after he comes up behind him. Herrmann gets defensive and claims that he was just distracted online shopping for his wife, Cindy.
“You were right next to that box when it exploded last shift,” Ritter responded, referencing the ending of Season 12, Episode 1, “Barely Gone,” when Herrmann was injured in an explosion set by an arsonist. “You can’t hear a thing. Can you?” Herrmann told Ritter, “My ears are ringing still. It’s not a big deal,” he said, to which Ritter responded, “That explosion was loud enough todo serious damage.”
Herrmann continued to downplay his symptoms. “Trust me, I’ve been around a lot worse. All right, it’s only at certain levels,” he said. “And when I’m zoning out, all I hear is buzzing. But it’ll go away in a few days, I’m sure.” He continued, “Ritter, I’m fine. Nobody likes a nag. So unless you wanna help me find some fancy shoes for my wife, you’re dismissed.”
Later in the episode, Herrmann explained how he can’t have hearing issues because of what it would mean for a firefighter of his age. At the end of Episode 2, Herrmann learns that he failed an auditory test, but his hearing is still in the range where he doesn’t have permanent damage and it’s correctible with hearing aids. “They will [work] for now. But there is a chance that your hearing loss may worsen, and you are right on the edge of CFD requirements. You need to be diligent and report any changes. If your hearing deteriorates and the devices stop working, you need to call my office immediately,” the doctor told him.
Chicago Fire isn’t the first time Eigenberg’s hearing loss has been mirrored on TV. In Season 1 of Sex and the City‘s spin-off, And Just Like That, Eigenberg’s character, Steve Brady, revealed that he was partially deaf. In an interview with Vanity Fair at the time, And Just Like That writers Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky explained that the storyline came from Eigenberg’s own, real-life hearing loss.
“When [showrunner] Michael Patrick [King] reconnected with David Eigenberg about the show, the very first thing that David said was, ‘I got hearing aids.’ It was literally what he led with,” Zuritsky said. “That actually wound up being Steve’s tone about his aging [in the show].”
She continued, “Everyone on the show, every single person, loves David Eigenberg as a human being. We love him as an actor. We love Steve. We are really invested in the Steve-ness of him. He’s so full of life, and the Steves out there are good guys.”
After the premiere of And Just Like That Season 1, Eigenberg shared an Instagram post thanking Chicago Fire for allowing him to film both series. “Just a little mention of another wonderful Show I’ve had the privilege of working on and off for the last 20 something years. #AJLT #satc thank you #chicagofire For giving me the opportunity to be a part of two amazing beautiful shows. I’m a really lucky and grateful guy,” he captioned a photo of him and his co-star, Cynthia Nixon, who plays Steve’s ex-wife, Miranda Hobbes.
What’s wrong with Christopher Herrmann on Chicago Fire?
What’s wrong with Christopher Herrmann on Chicago Fire? In an interview with TV Insider in January 2024, Chicago Fire producer Andrea Newman teased Herrmann’s journey in Season 12 and how his hearing loss affects his career as a firefighter.
“Change is the theme of the season, and Herrmann has his own upheaval both mentally and physically coming off that heroic save,” she said. “The question is, can Ritter get him to confront the truth of his struggles, or will Herrmann end up getting himself or someone else hurt by not dealing with it? And how will that dynamic affect the Herrmann/Ritter relationship going forward? Wait, who’s asking the questions here???”
Newman also told The Hollywood Reporter at the time about how Herrmann and Mouch’s ages play a part in their journeys on Chicago Fire Season 12. (Mouch, whose real name is Randall McHolland, almost died in the Season 11 finale after he was shot and hospitalized.)
“This is what these firefighters do! And what these first responders do. It’s a very physical job. So, what happens when you are fighting Father Time over the course of it?” she said. “The guy who is our technical consultant, Steve Chikerotis, who is a deputy district chief, he’s retired and probably in the range of Mouch and Hermann. And I’ve seen that guy with his bare hands — when a tech van pulled up to scout — fend off two pit bulls attacking a passerby. It was a scary thing; this guy reaches in with his bare fucking hands and rips these pit bulls off of him! He’s as badass as they come, even at a retired age. He’s incredible and he is fearsome, and you would not want get in a fight with that guy no matter the age.”
She continued, “But that being said, you’re absolutely right. It’s that’s something that’s always a struggle. And they raised the mandate retirement this year to 65. So, you can be a firefighter at 65 and a lot of these guys and women, they work hard to stay in shape and stay a part of it. But they also have to start thinking about the future; some of them are happy sliding into a desk job at a certain point. They can function that way like Boden, the fire chief of Firehouse 51. It is a little bit of a struggle, but he can do the desk job. But then there are some people that are adrenaline junkies; they are never going to want to hang it up and just move to a desk.”
She also teased the dynamic between Herrmann and Mouch, and newer firefighters like Ritter. “So, that is going to be a struggle for the entire season, with the old guard and the new guard. They are seeing these young guys come in and the questions are, ‘Do I have limitations and if so, what are they? And, will they hamper me on the job? And, what’s the safest thing for everybody?’ But you know, they’re still tough!” she said.
What happened with David Eigenberg’s hearing?
What happened with David Eigenberg’s hearing? Eigenberg’s Chicago Fire character Christopher Herrmann started exemplifying symptoms of hearing loss in Season 12, Episode 2, “Call Me McHolland,” when Darren Ritter tries to talk to Herrmann at the firehouse and Herrmann doesn’t hear him. “What’s going on with you?” Ritter asks Herrmann after he comes up behind him. Herrmann gets defensive and claims that he was just distracted online shopping for his wife, Cindy.
“You were right next to that box when it exploded last shift,” Ritter responded, referencing the ending of Season 12, Episode 1, “Barely Gone,” when Herrmann was injured in an explosion set by an arsonist. “You can’t hear a thing. Can you?” Herrmann told Ritter, “My ears are ringing still. It’s not a big deal,” he said, to which Ritter responded, “That explosion was loud enough todo serious damage.”
Herrmann continued to downplay his symptoms. “Trust me, I’ve been around a lot worse. All right, it’s only at certain levels,” he said. “And when I’m zoning out, all I hear is buzzing. But it’ll go away in a few days, I’m sure.” He continued, “Ritter, I’m fine. Nobody likes a nag. So unless you wanna help me find some fancy shoes for my wife, you’re dismissed.”
Later in the episode, Herrmann explained how he can’t have hearing issues because of what it would mean for a firefighter of his age. At the end of Episode 2, Herrmann learns that he failed an auditory test, but his hearing is still in the range where he doesn’t have permanent damage and it’s correctible with hearing aids. “They will [work] for now. But there is a chance that your hearing loss may worsen, and you are right on the edge of CFD requirements. You need to be diligent and report any changes. If your hearing deteriorates and the devices stop working, you need to call my office immediately,” the doctor told him.
Chicago Fire isn’t the first time Eigenberg’s hearing loss has been mirrored on TV. In Season 1 of Sex and the City‘s spin-off, And Just Like That, Eigenberg’s character, Steve Brady, revealed that he was partially deaf. In an interview with Vanity Fair at the time, And Just Like That writers Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky explained that the storyline came from Eigenberg’s own, real-life hearing loss.
“When [showrunner] Michael Patrick [King] reconnected with David Eigenberg about the show, the very first thing that David said was, ‘I got hearing aids.’ It was literally what he led with,” Zuritsky said. “That actually wound up being Steve’s tone about his aging [in the show].”
She continued, “Everyone on the show, every single person, loves David Eigenberg as a human being. We love him as an actor. We love Steve. We are really invested in the Steve-ness of him. He’s so full of life, and the Steves out there are good guys.”
After the premiere of And Just Like That Season 1, Eigenberg shared an Instagram post thanking Chicago Fire for allowing him to film both series. “Just a little mention of another wonderful Show I’ve had the privilege of working on and off for the last 20 something years. #AJLT #satc thank you #chicagofire For giving me the opportunity to be a part of two amazing beautiful shows. I’m a really lucky and grateful guy,” he captioned a photo of him and his co-star, Cynthia Nixon, who plays Steve’s ex-wife, Miranda Hobbes.
What’s wrong with Christopher Herrmann on Chicago Fire?
What’s wrong with Christopher Herrmann on Chicago Fire? In an interview with TV Insider in January 2024, Chicago Fire producer Andrea Newman teased Herrmann’s journey in Season 12 and how his hearing loss affects his career as a firefighter.
“Change is the theme of the season, and Herrmann has his own upheaval both mentally and physically coming off that heroic save,” she said. “The question is, can Ritter get him to confront the truth of his struggles, or will Herrmann end up getting himself or someone else hurt by not dealing with it? And how will that dynamic affect the Herrmann/Ritter relationship going forward? Wait, who’s asking the questions here???”
Newman also told The Hollywood Reporter at the time about how Herrmann and Mouch’s ages play a part in their journeys on Chicago Fire Season 12. (Mouch, whose real name is Randall McHolland, almost died in the Season 11 finale after he was shot and hospitalized.)
“This is what these firefighters do! And what these first responders do. It’s a very physical job. So, what happens when you are fighting Father Time over the course of it?” she said. “The guy who is our technical consultant, Steve Chikerotis, who is a deputy district chief, he’s retired and probably in the range of Mouch and Hermann. And I’ve seen that guy with his bare hands — when a tech van pulled up to scout — fend off two pit bulls attacking a passerby. It was a scary thing; this guy reaches in with his bare fucking hands and rips these pit bulls off of him! He’s as badass as they come, even at a retired age. He’s incredible and he is fearsome, and you would not want get in a fight with that guy no matter the age.”
She continued, “But that being said, you’re absolutely right. It’s that’s something that’s always a struggle. And they raised the mandate retirement this year to 65. So, you can be a firefighter at 65 and a lot of these guys and women, they work hard to stay in shape and stay a part of it. But they also have to start thinking about the future; some of them are happy sliding into a desk job at a certain point. They can function that way like Boden, the fire chief of Firehouse 51. It is a little bit of a struggle, but he can do the desk job. But then there are some people that are adrenaline junkies; they are never going to want to hang it up and just move to a desk.”
She also teased the dynamic between Herrmann and Mouch, and newer firefighters like Ritter. “So, that is going to be a struggle for the entire season, with the old guard and the new guard. They are seeing these young guys come in and the questions are, ‘Do I have limitations and if so, what are they? And, will they hamper me on the job? And, what’s the safest thing for everybody?’ But you know, they’re still tough!” she said.
What happened with David Eigenberg’s hearing?
What happened with David Eigenberg’s hearing? Eigenberg’s Chicago Fire character Christopher Herrmann started exemplifying symptoms of hearing loss in Season 12, Episode 2, “Call Me McHolland,” when Darren Ritter tries to talk to Herrmann at the firehouse and Herrmann doesn’t hear him. “What’s going on with you?” Ritter asks Herrmann after he comes up behind him. Herrmann gets defensive and claims that he was just distracted online shopping for his wife, Cindy.
“You were right next to that box when it exploded last shift,” Ritter responded, referencing the ending of Season 12, Episode 1, “Barely Gone,” when Herrmann was injured in an explosion set by an arsonist. “You can’t hear a thing. Can you?” Herrmann told Ritter, “My ears are ringing still. It’s not a big deal,” he said, to which Ritter responded, “That explosion was loud enough todo serious damage.”
Herrmann continued to downplay his symptoms. “Trust me, I’ve been around a lot worse. All right, it’s only at certain levels,” he said. “And when I’m zoning out, all I hear is buzzing. But it’ll go away in a few days, I’m sure.” He continued, “Ritter, I’m fine. Nobody likes a nag. So unless you wanna help me find some fancy shoes for my wife, you’re dismissed.”
Later in the episode, Herrmann explained how he can’t have hearing issues because of what it would mean for a firefighter of his age. At the end of Episode 2, Herrmann learns that he failed an auditory test, but his hearing is still in the range where he doesn’t have permanent damage and it’s correctible with hearing aids. “They will [work] for now. But there is a chance that your hearing loss may worsen, and you are right on the edge of CFD requirements. You need to be diligent and report any changes. If your hearing deteriorates and the devices stop working, you need to call my office immediately,” the doctor told him.
Chicago Fire isn’t the first time Eigenberg’s hearing loss has been mirrored on TV. In Season 1 of Sex and the City‘s spin-off, And Just Like That, Eigenberg’s character, Steve Brady, revealed that he was partially deaf. In an interview with Vanity Fair at the time, And Just Like That writers Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky explained that the storyline came from Eigenberg’s own, real-life hearing loss.
“When [showrunner] Michael Patrick [King] reconnected with David Eigenberg about the show, the very first thing that David said was, ‘I got hearing aids.’ It was literally what he led with,” Zuritsky said. “That actually wound up being Steve’s tone about his aging [in the show].”
She continued, “Everyone on the show, every single person, loves David Eigenberg as a human being. We love him as an actor. We love Steve. We are really invested in the Steve-ness of him. He’s so full of life, and the Steves out there are good guys.”
After the premiere of And Just Like That Season 1, Eigenberg shared an Instagram post thanking Chicago Fire for allowing him to film both series. “Just a little mention of another wonderful Show I’ve had the privilege of working on and off for the last 20 something years. #AJLT #satc thank you #chicagofire For giving me the opportunity to be a part of two amazing beautiful shows. I’m a really lucky and grateful guy,” he captioned a photo of him and his co-star, Cynthia Nixon, who plays Steve’s ex-wife, Miranda Hobbes.
What’s wrong with Christopher Herrmann on Chicago Fire?
What’s wrong with Christopher Herrmann on Chicago Fire? In an interview with TV Insider in January 2024, Chicago Fire producer Andrea Newman teased Herrmann’s journey in Season 12 and how his hearing loss affects his career as a firefighter.
“Change is the theme of the season, and Herrmann has his own upheaval both mentally and physically coming off that heroic save,” she said. “The question is, can Ritter get him to confront the truth of his struggles, or will Herrmann end up getting himself or someone else hurt by not dealing with it? And how will that dynamic affect the Herrmann/Ritter relationship going forward? Wait, who’s asking the questions here???”
Newman also told The Hollywood Reporter at the time about how Herrmann and Mouch’s ages play a part in their journeys on Chicago Fire Season 12. (Mouch, whose real name is Randall McHolland, almost died in the Season 11 finale after he was shot and hospitalized.)
“This is what these firefighters do! And what these first responders do. It’s a very physical job. So, what happens when you are fighting Father Time over the course of it?” she said. “The guy who is our technical consultant, Steve Chikerotis, who is a deputy district chief, he’s retired and probably in the range of Mouch and Hermann. And I’ve seen that guy with his bare hands — when a tech van pulled up to scout — fend off two pit bulls attacking a passerby. It was a scary thing; this guy reaches in with his bare fucking hands and rips these pit bulls off of him! He’s as badass as they come, even at a retired age. He’s incredible and he is fearsome, and you would not want get in a fight with that guy no matter the age.”
She continued, “But that being said, you’re absolutely right. It’s that’s something that’s always a struggle. And they raised the mandate retirement this year to 65. So, you can be a firefighter at 65 and a lot of these guys and women, they work hard to stay in shape and stay a part of it. But they also have to start thinking about the future; some of them are happy sliding into a desk job at a certain point. They can function that way like Boden, the fire chief of Firehouse 51. It is a little bit of a struggle, but he can do the desk job. But then there are some people that are adrenaline junkies; they are never going to want to hang it up and just move to a desk.”
She also teased the dynamic between Herrmann and Mouch, and newer firefighters like Ritter. “So, that is going to be a struggle for the entire season, with the old guard and the new guard. They are seeing these young guys come in and the questions are, ‘Do I have limitations and if so, what are they? And, will they hamper me on the job? And, what’s the safest thing for everybody?’ But you know, they’re still tough!” she said.