How ‘Chicago Fire’ Said a Temporary Goodbye to Taylor Kinney’s Kelly Severide Amid Leave of Absence

It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later. During Wednesday’s episode of “Chicago Fire,” Taylor Kinney’s Kelly Severide left town to go to “the best arson investigation training program in the world.” While he could have turned down the last-minute opening, the opportunity was too big to pass on.

Kinney did not appear on the episode, as he had already left at the time of shooting. Instead, the news was delivered to Boden (Eamonn Walker) from OFI’s Van Meter (Tim Meter). While Boden is disappointed, he knows the training will be beneficial for the firehouse whenever Severide returns.

Last month, Variety confirmed that Kinney was taking a leave of absence from the procedural to deal with a person matter.

Kinney has led “Chicago Fire” since its debut in 2012. He’s appeared on “Chicago Med,” “Chicago P.D.” and the short-lived “Chicago Justice.”

This is just one of many changes that has hit “Chicago Fire” as of late. In November, Variety exclusively confirmed that co-creator and co-showrunner Derek Haas is leaving at the end of the season.

“Although I am leaving Wolf Entertainment next year to focus on creating new shows, I’m entirely committed to delivering amazing episodes of ‘Chicago Fire’ and ‘FBI: International’ through the end of the current seasons,” Haas said in a statement at the time. “I learned everything I know about storytelling, pace, characters, production values, and hiring the best cast, crews, and staffs from Dick Wolf and Peter Jankowski, and as hard as it is to leave a place you love and have called home for over a decade, including incredible support from Universal Television, NBC and CBS, I look forward to building my own

Leading man Jesse Spencer left the show in 2021 after 200 episodes; he returned briefly for a cameo in the Season 10 finale, when Severide married Stella (Miranda Rae Mayo).