In January, Deadline reported that Taylor Kinney would be pausing his work on “Chicago Fire” because of a personal matter. This announcement came weeks before Season 11 returned with new episodes in February. According to the insider, the show’s writers learned of Kinney’s departure just days before the article was published. The report also mentioned that the writers would likely have to rewrite the scripts to remove Kinney’s Kelly Severide character.
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Kinney wasn’t present in the last string of episodes. However, the writers did briefly address his lack of screen time during a March 2 episode. Kelly was on a side quest to get “the best arson investigation training program in the world” — not just the best, though, but also the longest. At this time, it’s unknown just what personal matter tore him away from the screen, or when he’ll return. However, Kinney hasn’t completely gone M.I.A. In April, Wide Open Country reported that Kinney and his girlfriend, Ashley Cruger, attended a charity event for MotoUp, a non-profit based out of Austin, Texas, which serves veterans. The charity posted about Kinney’s involvement, but the actor didn’t acknowledge the event on social media.
