Taylor Kinney returns to Firehouse 51.
The actor, 42, who plays Lt. Kelly Severide on NBC Chicago Fire, will return for Season 12 following a hiatus from the hit NBC procedural he took earlier this year, PEOPLE has learned.
Source close to production Chicago Fire previously confirmed to PEOPLE in January that Kinney is taking a leave of absence from the series. The time off was due to him having to “deal with a personal matter”, although no further information was released at the time.
His character’s absence from the show was somewhat explained in a season 11 episode as it was tied to Severide’s last-minute opportunity to attend “the best fire investigation training program in the world”. But when Severide didn’t return to Chicago after the program ended, his wife Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and fans were worried.
Taylor Kinney hits first red carpet since taking time off from ‘Chicago Fire’
Taylor Kinney.
Arnold Jerocki/WireImage
Kinney has since played Severide Chicago Fire premiered in 2012 and launched the network’s popular One Chicago franchise, which includes spinoffs Chicago police and Chicago Med.
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The showrunners and scriptwriters of the series in Chicago returned to work at the beginning of October.
All three shows are expected to return to NBC following the SAG/AFTRA strike. In the meantime, they can be streamed on Peacock.
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Source: HIS Education