1674356675 Taylor Kinney Says Goodbye to Chicago Fire to Take Care

Taylor Kinney Says Goodbye to ‘Chicago Fire’ to ‘Take Care of a Personal Matter’

Taylor Kinney is stepping down from his hit NBC show Chicago Fire.

The 41-year-old actor, who has been on the show for over a decade, is “taking a vacation to attend to a personal matter,” a source close to the production told Fox News Digital.

Deadline reported that the cast and crew were notified of Kinney’s departure on Friday. The series is currently in its 11th season and the scripts may need to be rewritten to accommodate the actor’s leave of absence.

Taylor Kinney is retiring from his hit NBC show "Chicago fire."

Taylor Kinney is stepping down from his hit NBC show Chicago Fire. (Photobank Art Sfahrer/NBC/NBCU via Getty Images)

A Chicago Fire representative declined to comment. Kinney’s rep did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Since the series premiered in October 2012, Kinney has played Chicago firefighter Lieutenant Kelly Severide. The former The Vampire Diaries graduate has also appeared in all other installments of Wolf Entertainment’s One Chicago franchise, including Chicago PD, Chicago Med and The Vampire Diaries. “Chicago Justice.”

Although Kinney’s character was formerly known as “ladies’ man,” he married fellow firefighter Lieutenant Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) last May in the Season 10 finale. The series aired its season 11 winter premiere on January 4, but the show is taking a scheduled hiatus until February 8.

Kinney takes "a leave of absence to deal with a personal matter," A source close to the production told Fox News Digital.

Kinney is “taking a leave of absence to attend to a personal matter,” a source close to the production told Fox News Digital. (Adrian S. Burrows Sr./NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

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Last week, during an interview with NBC, Kinney reflected on his first audition for Chicago Fire.

“I was in the audition circle a lot, so I was decent at it,” he said. “I remember I was never scared. I was excited about it, and then you kind of leave it to the powerful.”

“It was going well and 10 years later I’m still here bugging you through your TVs while you fold your laundry,” joked the Pennsylvania native.

“Chicago Fire” airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

Since its premiere in 2012, Kinney has played the role of Chicago Firefighter Lieutenant Kelly Severide on the hit NBC show

Since it premiered in 2012, Kinney has played the role of Chicago firefighter Lieutenant Kelly Severide on the hit NBC show (Adrian S. Burrows Sr./NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images).

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Ashley Hume is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @ashleyhume