Who’s leaving Chicago Fire after Season 12?
Four cast members left Chicago Fire in Season 12: Alberto Rosende (who played Blake Gallo); Kara Killmer (who played Sylvie Brett); Rome Flynn (who played Derrick Gibson); and Eamonn Walker (who played Chief Wallace Boden.) Walker is an original cast member, while Rosende joined in Season 8; Killmer joined in Season 3; and Flynn joined in Season 12. (Though Walker left as a series regular in Chicago Fire Season 12, he’ll remain in a recurring capacity for Season 13.)
Other than Rosende, Killmer, Flynn and Walker, no other Chicago Fire cast members have confirmed their exits following Season 12. However, there are three actors fans speculate could leave in Season 13 based on clues in the Season 12 finale.
Rumors first swirled that Kinney – who has played Lieutenant Kelly Severide since Season 1 – was leaving Chicago Fire in Season 11 when he took a temporary leave of absence of the series and had to be written out of the final eight episodes of the season. Kinney nor NBC ever revealed the reason for his mysterious exit from Chicago Fire, however, he continued to fuel speculation over his status on the series when Severide returned for Season 12 only to leave again a few episodes into the season. Though Severide was back in time for the Season 12 finale, “Never Say Goodbye,” there was one big clue viewers may have missed that could hint to his exit in Season 13.
In the Season 12 finale, Chief Wallace Boden left Firehouse 51 after he was promoted to Deputy Fire Commissioner for the Chicago Fire Department. Before he left, however, Boden offered his role as chief of Firehouse 51 to Lieutenant Christopher Herrmann, who hesitantly took the role. Prior to the finale, fans speculated that Severide – who Boden put in charge as the temporary chief of Firehouse 51 while he was gone in the last few episodes – would be promoted as chief because he’s one of Firehouse 51’s most senior members and had already filled in as chief while Boden was away. When that didn’t happen, fans wondered why Severide wasn’t promoted. (No shade to Herrmann!)
The main theory is that Chicago Fire is planning for Kinney’s exit in Season 13, so it wouldn’t make sense for the series to promote Severide to chief only to write him off the series later in Season 13. Chicago Fire has also been laying the groundwork for a divorce between Severide and his wife, Lieutenant Stella Kidd, who have had marital issues ever since Severide left Kidd without almost no notice to train with the OFI in Season 11. Their marital issues continued in Season 12 when Kidd expressed her fears that Severide would leave her again out of nowhere for another arson investigation. Though the couple seemed to be in a better place in the finale – in which Stellaride talked about having a baby – the groundwork is still there for Severide and Kidd to divorce in Season 13 if he leaves the series.
Miranda Rae Mayo, who plays Kidd, told NBC Insider after the Season 12 finale about how Severide and Kidd’s different opinions on starting a family could also affect their relationship. “I do think that they feel differently about this because in order for them to start a family, it means that Stella would have to put so much of her career on pause,” Mayo said. “He could continue to be a lieutenant, she could not for a while…” Mayo continued, “And it’s interesting. Stella didn’t want to get married. I think she loves kids. She loves working with kids, but she’s undecided on if she wants to have her own. And I think it’s a big question of when.”
