Taylor Kinney makes first public appearance since leaving Chicago Fire

Taylor Kinney is quietly resurfacing after his abrupt exit from Chicago Fire. The actor went quiet in terms of public appearances and social media posts after his character went sent out of town, but now he’s appearing on his girlfriend’s Instagram stories and seemingly resumed his output in terms of fan interaction.

Kinney confirmed this on April 15, when he attended the MotoGP VIP Experience & Charity Giving event in Austin, Texas. The event is meant to veteran communities, and is described as making “an impact in helping our wounded combat veterans integrate and adjust back into society through the active participation of motorsports.”

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The actor, who has not posted on his Instagram since December 2022, posed for a photo next to other attendees for the MotoUp Instagram account.

The account even tagged him, writing: “Thanks for stopping by @taylorkinney111 to see what we’re doing to help out our #veterans ♥️🇺🇸.”

While Kinney’s exit from Chicago Fire was announced back in January, the details surrounding his exit have been scarce. There was no mention of why the actor was stepping away from the show after a decade, and it was formally billed as a “leave of absence.”

Then there was no mention of what episode the actor would leave, either, which was further complicated by the fact that the anticipation building up to his exit was subverted by a decision to have the Severide leave between episodes, and simply explain it away through exposition.

While the lack of fanfare surrounding the character is a good indicator that he will be back, there has been no concrete information from Kinney or the showrunners as to when he’ll be back. Some fans are starting to theorize that he may not return at all, though given the character’s relationship with Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and general importance within the show, is unlikely.

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