Taylor Kinney returned to Instagram before the Chicago Fire finale (and no one noticed)

Taylor Kinney might not have returned for the final episode of Chicago Fire season 11, but the One Chicago star did make a surprise return of a different kind on the eve of the season’s final episode — one not many fans picked up on.

While Kinney has not posted any new content directly on his personal Instagram account since taking his leave of absence from NBC’s hit firefighter drama, fans have been gifted to a few updates via the Instagram account of his girlfriend, Ashley Cruger. The pair have been keeping quite busy in the time since Kinney stepped away from the show with her Instagram account being the primary source for updates on the Chicago Fire star.

The most recent update came on the eve of the season 11 finale with an appearance from Kinney that seemed to have gone unnoticed by most fans… which is understandable given the nature of the photo.

Taylor Kinney accompanies girlfriend Ashley Cruger to charity event

Taylor Kinney might not have made an appearance in the Chicago Fire season 11 finale on Wednesday night but on the eve of the finale he did accompany girlfriend Ashley Cruger to the Golf. Give. Gala. event.

The annual event features a celebrity gala, concert, and golf fundraiser benefiting the Tim Tebow Foundation and is an event that Kinney is no stranger to. Kinney has had an active presence at the event in recent years and once again was in attendance at this year’s event which was hosted from May 21 – May 22.

In a post shared on May 23, Cruger gushed about the “incredible foundation” and her excitement over being part of the event. The post featured a number of shots from the Golf. Give. Gala. event including one shot presumably taken on the way to the event in which we see Kinney resting his hand on her leg which the actor’s account tagged in the image.

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While we don’t get a clear shot of Kinney in the photo, he was all smiles in a photo shared by a fan in attendance who posted about being thrilled with getting the chance to snap a photo with Kinney.

“Golf, Give, Gala concert 2023. Such an amazing night. I got to see some of my favorite country artists AND got a picture with Taylor Kinney!” wrote the guest who was lucky enough to get a photo with Kinney at the event.

Although we would have loved to see Kinney back on our screens on One Chicago finale night, it is nice to see him out and about. And hopefully, he’ll soon be back on the Chicago Fire set filming again once production is able to begin on the next season.

For the latest Chicago Fire spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Fire category at One Chicago Center.