Chicago Fire: Did Christian Stolte say goodbye to fans on IG?

CHICAGO FIRE -- "Red Waterfall" Episode 1122 -- Pictured: (l-r) Miranda Rae Mayo as Stella Kidd, Christian Stolte as Randy “Mouch” McHolland, Jake Lockett as Carver -- (Photo by: Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC)
CHICAGO FIRE -- "Red Waterfall" Episode 1122 -- Pictured: (l-r) Miranda Rae Mayo as Stella Kidd, Christian Stolte as Randy “Mouch” McHolland, Jake Lockett as Carver -- (Photo by: Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC) /
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Things don’t look good for Mouch (Christian Stolte). The character was hit with shrapnel and rushed to the hospital in the Chicago Fire season 11 finale, where he appeared to flatline before the screen faded to black.

It was a devastating cliffhanger to leave fans with, especially given that Mouch is one of the most beloved characters in the entire show. To make matters even more stressful, Christian Stolte took to Instagram to post a message that suggests he may be hanging up the fire helmet soon…

Is Christian Stolte leaving Chicago Fire?

Shortly before the Chicago Fire finale aired, Stolte hopped on Instagram with a promo image and a message for fans that seemed oddly reflective. The reflectiveness gained context after we found out what happened to his character, however.

"“Our 11th Season Finale airs tonight,” he wrote. “No spoilers, I just want to say it’s been an extraordinary 11 years, and I am so very grateful for the experience. Truck on, Chi-Hards.”"


We’re not going to lie: it’s a bit concerning to see Stolte tell fans to “truck on”, as though he won’t be around to truck on with us. Is this the actor’s way of breaking the news that Mouch isn’t going to survive his injuries? It can certainly be interpreted that way.

The general rollout for an actor’s departure includes a confirmation from the network and an interview with said actor. It’s something that we saw when Jesse Spencer left Chicago Fire, or when Jesse Lee Soffer left Chicago PD earlier this year. In the case of both actors, though, it was already confirmed that they would be leaving in the world of the show.

In the case of Mouch, it’s still unclear whether he will pull through, so it makes sense that the actor and the network would want to hold off on confirming the news (i.e. spoil their cliffhanger). If this is the case, though, Stolte’s post is an interesting teaser of what’s to come. Fingers crossed that we get plenty more Mouch in season 12.

Next. Is Kelly Severide leaving Chicago Fire?. dark

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