Jocelyn Hudon is having the kind of Chicago Fire season actors dream about. After starting as a floater and then being bumped up to series regular in season 13, Novak has gone from fun comic relief on Ambo to the center of some of season 14’s most emotional and romantic storylines.
In a recent interview with PopCulture, Hudon talked about finally getting to dig into Novak’s past, present and maybe-complicated future – from that surprising sister reveal to budding connections with both Frost on Med and Vasquez back at 51.
“I was just as excited as everyone else. I was like, ‘I have a sister, oh my god,’” Hudon said of the midseason twist that introduced Novak’s estranged sibling. The dynamic flipped Novak into a role fans hadn’t really seen before: less chaotic partner on Ambo, more reluctant parent-figure trying to keep the Novak kids from completely falling apart.
Hudon admitted it wasn’t the direction she expected, but once the scripts landed, it clicked. The sister storyline made sense of Novak’s party-girl energy and why she feels so at home inside the chaotic found family of Firehouse 51. Getting to step into that “mother hen” mode, even briefly, gave Hudon a chance to stretch the character and hint at deeper scars underneath the jokes.
Novak, Violet and the paramedic pilot program
Professionally, Novak’s world is expanding too. The paramedic pilot program she and Violet launched has turned the ambulance into one of the most fun playgrounds on the show this year.
Having firefighters like Capp rotate onto Ambo has given Novak a brand new set of dynamics to play with. Hudon loved every second of it – including Capp’s predictable disasters – and she’s hoping we see even more 51 regulars thrown into the deep end of paramedic work as the season goes on.
Off-screen, Hudon joked that the experiment has been a blast, and on-screen it’s given Novak and Violet a sense of ownership. They’re not just running calls; they’re shaping how the CFD could deploy paramedics across the city. It’s a subtle but important way of showing Novak as more than the “fun one” in the room.
Why Novak might quietly be Chicago Fire’s MVP in season 14 part 2
Another under-the-radar development Hudon is excited about: Novak finally getting more time with Stella Kidd.
Season 14 has quietly built a little triangle of leadership and mentorship between Kidd, Violet and Novak. Hudon teased more scenes where those three share the screen, and it feels like the show is testing out a new female core at the firehouse, one that spans truck, Ambo and the next generation of leadership.
For Novak, who’s used to being the chaos merchant on the ambulance, that means learning how to balance her instinctive, go-with-the-flow style with Kidd’s harder-edged, captain’s perspective. It’s a growth lane that doesn’t require a big speech; you see it in how Novak handles patients, trainees and even her own messy life.
Novak’s love life gets a little complicated
Of course, this wouldn’t be One Chicago without complications in the romance department.
Over on Chicago Med, Novak’s connection with Dr. John Frost has turned into one of the more charming cross-show flings in the franchise. Hudon said working with Darren Barnet has been a gift – the two are close friends in real life, which makes the Novak–Frost banter feel lived-in and easy.
The interesting wrinkle? That romance hasn’t really landed on Fire yet. Novak’s colleagues at 51 aren’t fully looped in, which sets the table for awkward locker room conversations once the Med crossover happenings inevitably bleed back into the firehouse.
Then there’s Vasquez. Hudon sees that bond as something deeper than a simple crush. Novak recognizes the weight of his family history and the damage it’s done, because she’s living her own version of that. She’s not just flirting with a handsome new firefighter; she’s offering him a safe place to land, someone who won’t judge how messy it all is.
Whether that stays platonic or evolves into something more, Hudon thinks the Novak–Vasquez connection is built to last. The trust is already there, and in a house as chaotic as 51, that matters almost as much as sparks.
Where Novak goes from here
As Chicago Fire season 14 heads into its backstretch, Hudon says she rips open every new script looking for where Novak’s love life and family drama go next. She doesn’t know the final answer yet and honestly, that uncertainty is part of the fun.
What we do know: Novak has never been more central to Chicago Fire than she is right now. She has a sister she’s still figuring out how to protect, a pilot program that could reshape how the CFD uses paramedics, a doctor on Med who’s clearly smitten, and a partner at 51 who trusts her with his darkest secrets.
For a character who started as the “fun floater,” Novak suddenly feels like one of the pillars of the One Chicago Universe and season 14’s second half is her biggest opportunity yet to prove it.