‘Chicago Fire’ Character David Eigenberg Now Wears Hearing Aids Like Him
David Eigenberg, who plays firefighter Christopher Herrmann on NBC’s hit drama Chicago Fire, revealed that his character will wear hearing aids in upcoming episodes — just like he does in real life.
The 59-year-old actor has struggled with hearing loss for decades and decided to incorporate his personal experience into the role after consulting with the show’s creators and producers.
“I need them in real life, so that was written into the show because I got to the point where I needed them,” Eigenberg told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on Thursday, February 1. “I’ve needed them for years. I’ve worn them, but then this year, I emailed the writers and I said, ‘You know, I’m at a point where, actually, I can’t hear very well. I’ve abused my body and I’ve had enough concussions and I’ve done enough things in my life that my hearing is gone.’ And they were kind enough to put it in, and I think that’s a great thing in a lot of ways. Because a lot of people are wearing them now. It’s a very normal thing.”
Dealing with his hearing loss hasn’t always been easy. “You know, sometimes it gets me down, I don’t like it,” he added. “But they’re a great tool to help in life, because what happens is if you don’t have them and you can’t hear, you’re not engaged. It distracts you. And wearing them brings you back to engagement. So I’m really glad we’re using it.”
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“It’s a vulnerability because you never know when your hearing is going to start to decline, how it’s going to progress,” he continued. “Even though they have one-eyed firefighters in Chicago, and they have firefighters who have hearing loss and have to wear hearing aids, at some point, if you can’t keep yourself and others safe, you can’t do it.”
Chicago Fire isn’t the first show where Eigenberg’s hearing has impacted the plot. In 2022, the writers of And Just Like That revealed how Eigenberg inspired a similar battle for his character Steve Brady.
“When [showrunner] Michael Patrick [King] reconnected with David Eigenberg about the show, the first thing David said was, ‘I’ve got hearing aids.’ That’s really what he led with,” Elisa Zuritsky, one of the show’s writers, told Vanity Fair. “That really became Steve’s tone about his age [on the show].”
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In the series premiere, the Sex and the City alum’s character returned as Cynthia Nixon’s faithful husband Miranda Hobbes, telling Harry Goldenblatt (Evan Handler), “I got my hearing aids, I’m old now.”
And Just Like That has been renewed for a third season, but Eigenberg was initially nervous about re-entering the SATC universe. “It’s been almost 20 years since this TV show. It’s scary,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in December 2021. “I’ve always been an in-and-out person. I said that on Sex and the City! I was in and out, so I was trying to find my feet a little bit. But it was fun, we got back together quickly. It’s always great to see such lovely faces.”
