Chicago Fire: Taylor Kinney makes rare IG appearance

Chicago Fire closed out season 11 with lots of unanswered questions. There were possible engagements and the potential death of a longtime character, and yet, the biggest question is whether Severide, and by extension, the actor who plays him, will return in season 12.

Kinney decided to take a leave of absence earlier this year, and there has not yet been any update on when he plans on coming back. The actor has been notably quiet on social media, as well, with the rare exception of an occasional appearance on his girlfriend’s Instagram.

The pattern seemed to continue last week, when Kinney popped up in a photo alongside Ashley Cruger and various friends. The photo came with the caption: “Do not engage”, and provides our first glimpse of the actor in several weeks.

The last time Kinney made a statement in relation to Chicago Fire was when the actor who played his onscreen father, Treat Williams, passed away.  “My thoughts and prayers are with Treat’s family,” he wrote in a statement obtained by People. “He played my father on Chicago Fire, and was a father figure to everyone on set. I’ll always relish our conversations and his uncanny ability to light up a room. We all send love, he will be missed.”

Chicago Fire is, of course, delayed to 2024 due to the ongoing writers and actors strike. None of the cast members are permitted to discuss or promote the show at the moment, so we will have to wait even longer than we expected to find out whether Kinney will decide to suit up and resume his storyline as Severide.

Hopefully, the delay, coupled with the time that the writers and producers will have to work on season 12, will allow them to reach an agreement with Kinney that allows there to be closure to the character of Severide, if not an outright return.

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