The actress is a certified scene-stealer as Firehouse 51’s fearless leader and passionate friend.
With years of experience behind her, there isn’t an emergency Chicago Fire’s Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) can’t handle.
She has been a fan favorite since Season 4 of Chicago Fire thanks to her dedication, passion, and charisma. As one of Firehouse 51’s strongest leaders — and now the wife of Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) — Chi-Hards delight in any second of Stella’s screentime.
Stella has come a long way since her Chicago Fire debut, taking viewers along as she’s climbed the ranks of the CFD.
When did Stella Kidd first appear on Chicago Fire?
Stella’s time at Firehouse 51 began in Season 4, Episode 15 (“Bad For the Soul”) as a recently divorced recruit who hit the ground running. Outside of work, Stella enjoyed the single life, occasionally hooking up with her ex-husband Grant Smith (Guy Burnet) when she was feeling lonely.
From the get-go, there was romantic tension between Stella and Severide, who’d actually met during a tactical training course when they were both at the Fire Academy. He had been instantly smitten and arrived at Stella’s home with a six-pack and flowers… only to learn Stella was married at the time.
How did Stella Kidd become a manager at Molly’s?
All About Miranda Rae Mayo’s Stella Kidd on Chicago Fire | NBC Insider
Stella made quick friends at 51 during her debut season, joining the group at Molly’s for drinks before she expressed interest in bartending.
Stella informed her new friends that she’d previously ran the most successful bar in Milwaukee for over two years, but Molly’s owner Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg) was apprehensive.
In Season 4, Episode 19 (“I Will Be Walking”), Stella and Herrmann competed in a competition dubbed the “Bar Olympics” where they flexed their bartending prowess. Stella was crowned the victor — leading her to join Molly’s staff as a manager.
What’s happened in Kelly Severide and Stella Kidd’s relationship?
Despite Stella and Severide’s first kiss and hook-up in Season 4 of Chicago Fire, her issues with her ex-husband Grant put a pause on their relationships relationship for quite some time.
After Stella found herself without an apartment in Season 6 of Chicago Fire, Severide offered up his space.
In Season 6, Episode 6 (“Down Is Better”), after getting quite intoxicated, Stella attempted to kiss Severide, which he gently declined, telling her, “Not like this.” They attempted to see other people, but by Season 6, Episode 15 (“Deathtrap”), Stella and Severide were officially dating again.
As a result, Stella found a new apartment so that she and Severide could set up their relationship for success.
Following a brief Season 7 separation triggered by the death of Severide’s father, the two again found their footing and were happily vibing as a couple by Season 8. In Season 8, Episode 12 (“Then Nick Porter Happened”), Stella moved back in with Severide — this time as his girlfriend.
After a season of bliss, Severide proposed to Stella in the middle of a house fire in Season 9, Episode 15 (“A White-Knuckle Panic”). In the Season 10 finale (“The Magnificent City of Chicago”), Stella and Severide were married in a stunning ceremony on the Chicago River.
All About Miranda Rae Mayo’s Stella Kidd on Chicago Fire | NBC Insider
And who was there to walk Stella down the aisle? Chief Wallace Boden (Eammon Walker), of course.
But all was not smooth sailing: Severide’s recent interest in arson investigation led the couple to major turbulence. In Season 11, Episode 14 (“Run Like Hell”), he showed her a text he’d received from Captain Tom Van Meter (Tim Hopper) with an offer to attend a prestigious arson investigation training program in Alabama. With his wife’s support, Severide left Firehouse 51, catapulting the couple into “long-distance” territory.
Severide’s lack of texts, calls, and general communication quickly caused issues within his marriage. In Episode 21 (“Change of Plans”), Kidd learned the Alabama program had ended, but Severide still hadn’t reached out about his return… and had left her in the dark by he accepted a gig with a federal agency.
After giving Boden a heads-up, Stella took a leave of absence in the Season 11 finale (“Red Waterfall”) to retrieve her husband and bring him back to Chicago.
When Season 12 began, Severide was back but the two were figuring out their relationship after he’d betrayed Stella’s trust by not communicating during his absence.
What happened between Stella Kidd and her ex-husband, Grant Smith?
All About Miranda Rae Mayo’s Stella Kidd on Chicago Fire | NBC Insider
Stella’s ex-husband, Grant, still heavily relied on Stella in Season 4 due to his ongoing mental health and addiction issues, and she struggled to cut the cord.
Toward the end of Season 4, Grant was admitted to a psychiatric facility and Stella was thriving — and getting closer to Severide. The pair hooked up for the first time in Episode 21′ (“Kind of a Crazy Idea”), but viewers were able to see that Grant was hiding in Stella’s closet with a knife, watching the two.
Chicago Med’s Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt) called Stella in the Season 5 premiere (“The Hose or the Animal”) to reveal that Grant had escaped from the facility. Upon getting the call, she searched her apartment and found Grant’s hospital bracelet, confirming he had been there. She decided not to press charges.
It all came to a head in Season 5, Episode 2 (“A Real Wake-Up Call”) after Grant began stalking Stella and Severide, going as far as following Stella with a knife. Severide caught Grant in the act, and the two a physical altercation outside of Molly’s before Grant was apprehended.
Despite the attack, Stella refused to participate in pressing charges for Severide’s attempted murder, putting their romance on ice for quite some time.
How was Stella Kidd injured in Chicago Fire Season 7?
Stella’s career was jeopardized in Season 7, Episode 2 (“Going to War”) when she was injured while responding to a ghastly apartment complex fire. She had failed to notify her colleagues that she’d run out of oxygen and collapsed on the scene.
She was whisked to Gaffney Medical Center during an episode of Chicago Med, and Dr. Connor Rhodes (Colin Donnell) informed her colleagues she was quickly deteriorating.
Rhodes told Severide that in order to save Stella, they’d need to remove a part of her lung. Knowing this would end her firefighting career, Severide begged the dovor to consider other options and he was able, with some assistance, to identify an alternative procedure that would both save her life and career.
Stella Kidd’s Girls on Fire program in Chicago Fire
In Season 8, Boden asked Stella to begin teaching classes at the Firehouse Academy, where she noticed a distinct gender imbalance and set out to find a solution to that problem.
Her efforts culminated in the Girls on Fire program, an initiative that provided firefighting education to at-risk teenage girls. Stella’s first-ever recruit was Kylie Estevez (Katelynn Shennett), who eventually became Boden’s administrative assistant in Season 9 of Chicago Fire. In Season 12, fans were delighted to learn Kylie had graduated from the Girls on Fire Program and accepted a position on Truck 46 at a nearby firehouse.
When was Stella Kidd promoted to lieutenant on Chicago Fire?
Stella’s persistence and hard work as a firefighter paid off in Season 10 Episode 14 (“An Officer With Grit”) when she learned she passed the lieutenant exam.
Boden then promoted Stella to acting Squad Leader of Truck 81.
To see what Stella does next, watch Chicago Fire on Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
