How old is Kelly Severide on Chicago Fire?

Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) is a mystery heading into Chicago Fire season 12. The character was only supposed to be gone for a couple weeks, but his arson investigation program has ended, and he still hasn’t come back to the 51.

As Chicago Fire gears up for its twelfth season, fans naturally start to ask questions about the character, and what the future holds for him. There’s also some uncertainty about his age, and whether he’s going to want to settle down and start a family with Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo)  at some point. How old is he?

Here’s what you need to know.

What is Severide’s age on Chicago Fire?

Chicago Fire has provided some age specific information on Severide over the year, but it’s often been contradicted by other seasons and/or script details. For example, the pilot script from 2012 states that Severide is 35 years old. Then, in season 5, the character is rushed to the hospital and a medic can be heard saying they are transporting a male who is “35”.

If we were to go by the timeline of the pilot script, then Severide would currently be 46 years old. If we were to base things on the season 5 dialogue, then the character is only 42. This inconsistency is nothing new in television. Nearly every procedural show, sitcom, or drama plays fast and loose with continuity, often times changing the details to fit whatever the story requires.

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There is a general rule of thumb that will help to simplify things, however. While the pilot script stated that Severide was 35, Taylor Kinney was only 31 at the time. it’s likely that the detail about the character’s age was created before Kinney was even cast, meaning that it was a placeholder more than an ironclad fact.

It’s far more likely that the show retconned the age of the character to be closer to the actor who plays him. When Kinney filmed the episode in which Severide is hospitalized, he was 35, meaning we can confidently line up the actor’s age with the character’s.

By that logic, Kinney is 42 and so is Severide. Here’s hoping we get plenty more years with the both of them.

What do you hope to see in the Chicago Fire season 12 premiere? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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