From long lost brothers to saint-like mothers, Severide’s family drama remains a One Chicago obsession.
A Breakdown of Kelly Severide’s Family Tree on Chicago Fire
While the One Chicago universe is star-studded with fan favorites, no one can deny that Lt. Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) has long been the heart of Chicago Fire.
Severide’s journey on Chicago Fire has not only showcased his heroism as a firefighter but also given Chi-Hards a glimpse into the complex lives first responders live between rescue calls. While Severide’s childhood wasn’t the best, Firehouse 51 soon became his family as he set out to become one of the most dedicated firefighters in the CFD. Over the years, we’ve met more of Severide’s family members and even watched him fall in love and marry fellow 51 powerhouse Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo).
Severide’s CFD family has always been the family he holds closest to his heart, but the Severide family tree is a fascinating rabbit hole to travel down. Let’s check out who’s who in Severide’s family.
Kelly Severide’s Father, Benny Severide
Played by Treat Williams
Seasons 1-2, Seasons 4-7; 16 episodes
The man who inspired Severide to become a firefighter was none other than his father, Benny Severide, but make no mistake: this was not your typical father-son relationship. In fact, at the start of the series, Benny and his son weren’t on speaking terms. Benny was a former member of Rescue Squad 4, working closely with 51’s former Chief Wallace Boden (Eammon Walker) back in the day. Eventually, Benny became a Captain in Arson Investigations. Benny was a dedicated and highly awarded firefighter but had a bad habit of allowing his career to take priority over his family. And fidelity wasn’t his strength, either.
After tormenting Severide’s mother with numerous affairs, Benny eventually walked out on his family when Severide was only 10 years old. Severide resented his father for this, not caring about bridging the gap when his father left.
Afterward, Benny continued doing what he did best: hooking up with women without committing (more on that later). Meanwhile, knowing he’d never get his father’s approval in person, Severide set out to prove himself by becoming an even better firefighter than Benny. It wouldn’t be until Severide was much older that he reconnected with his father in Season 1 of Chicago Fire.
Benny visited Severide at Firehouse 51 to begin rebuilding their relationship. While Severide was initially hesitant, he slowly began to view Benny as a father figure as time passed. Their relationship would never be perfect — too much damage was done — but it could be renewed. Severide learned that Benny eventually married a woman named Beth and became a stepdad to two kids.
Sadly for Severide’s sense of closure, in Season 7, Episode 6 (“All the Proof”), Benny tragically died after suffering from a stroke. Despite the turmoil in their relationship, Severide was devastated by his father’s death, and it plagued him for the entirety of Season 7 and left a scar that was felt long after Benny’s passing.Kelly Severide’s Mother, Jennifer Sheridan
Played by Kim Delaney
Seasons 6-7, Season 10; 4 episodes
While Severide’s relationship with his father was an emotional rollercoaster, he fortunately had a much healthier relationship with his mom, Jennifer Sheridan. Jennifer was a single mother for a large chunk of Severide’s childhood, and he came to view her as a saint. Jennifer’s first on-screen appearance came in Season 6, Episode 17 (“Put White on Me”) when she surprised Severide with a visit at the firehouse to say she was interested in living with him for a time.
Having just moved in with his then-girlfriend Stella, Severide quickly welcomed his mom into their home. After reconnecting with Benny to prove that she’d moved on and thrived after everything he’d done, Severide was shocked to discover that the spark between his mom and dad was rekindled after their meeting.
After realizing his parents intended to get back together, Severide raised his concerns to Benny. Severide chastised his father for leading his mother on when they both knew he’d end up hurting her again. Benny ended up heeding his advice and cutting things off with Jennifer.
Stella had been worried about gaining Jennifer’s approval, but it didn’t take long for her to get it. That was only affirmed when Jennifer returned for Benny’s funeral and saw how much Stella supported Severide during that time.
We last saw Jennifer as she attended Severide and Stella’s wedding during Chicago Fire’s Season 10 finale (“The Wonderful City of Chicago”). She was delighted to celebrate her son’s big day alongside her new daughter-in-law and Firehouse 51 loved ones.
Played by Brittany Curran
Season 2, Season 7; 9 episodes
Remember how we said Benny got around? Yeah, well, that led to some unintended consequences, including but not limited to him having a few kids after stepping out on Severide and his mom. After getting into a relationship after leaving Severide’s family, Benny became the father of a daughter named Katie Nolan.
Of course, Benny’s track record of screwing over women continued, and he left Katie and her mother when she was very young. Katie’s mother remarried by the time she was 4, and she wouldn’t see Benny for a decade as he sent birthday gifts from afar. When Benny and Katie finally met when she was 10, Benny promised to see her more often but failed to see her again until she was 21.
Severide discovered this estranged half-sister after spotting his father meeting with a mysterious younger woman in Season 2, Episode 5 (“A Power Move”). Believing Benny to be cheating on Beth with this stranger, Severide tracked her down to confront her about the affair. That was when Severide learned she wasn’t Benny’s mistress; she was his daughter, Katie. After speaking to his dad about the estranged half-sister, Benny encouraged Severide to grow closer to Katie.
Throughout Season 2, Katie began hanging out at Firehouse 51 while enrolled in culinary school. During this time, Katie struck up a brief fling with late 51 fan favorite Otis Zvonecek (Yuri Sardarov). After graduating from culinary school and being offered a full-time position at a New York City restaurant, Katie was on cloud nine. That is, until she was kidnapped by a nefarious mobster. Severide was able to track down his sister and rescue her, but she was traumatized by the ordeal, soon leaving Chicago for New York City to heal.
Katie thrived in New York and later relocated to Denver to work as a sous chef alongside her boyfriend. She returned to the Windy City for Benny’s funeral in Season 7, Episode 7 (“What Will Define You”), reconnecting with her brother and his 51 friends.
Kelly Severide’s Half-Brother, Jack Damon
Played by Michael Bradway
Seasons 12-13; 6 episodes
Chi-Hards may have thought that Benny’s sexual exploits ended after he abandoned not one but two families, but they were wrong. Case in point: Jack Damon. Chi-Hards first met Damon in Season 12, Episode 10 (“The Wrong Guy”) after he joined Firehouse 51 from the floater pool. At first, Damon seemed like a great fit, fully briefed on Firehouse 51’s glimmering reputation as a self-proclaimed CFD super-fan.
However, after he was overheard on the phone suspiciously saying that he was at 51 for a reason, the firefighters started to put their guard up. Why was he there? While several members of 51 struggled to trust him, Damon focused his efforts on building a bond with Severide. Stella didn’t like Damon’s shadiness, but Severide appreciated his passion for the gig.
Damon’s secret was eventually revealed in the Season 12 finale when he confessed to Severide that he was at Firehouse 51 because he was Benny’s son. That’s right — Severide had another secret sibling that Benny had hidden from him. Like Severide and Katie, Damon was abandoned by Benny as a young child. Little is known about his mother, considering Benny had passed away before Damon could reunite with him and get answers. Damon looked up to Severide as the golden boy of Benny’s life.
After learning Damon was his half-brother, Severide took Damon under his wing. However, in Season 13 of Chicago Fire, Damon soon became a conflict of interest at 51 after neglecting Stella’s orders. Severide was bending over backward and making excuses for his brother when he’d never do that for someone else. Severide eventually told Damon they couldn’t work at the same firehouse, and Damon was transferred to a nearby station.
Damon was initially furious with Severide for abandoning him — comparing him to Benny when they came to blows following his transfer. Luckily, Damon and Severide were able to reconcile, with Severide assuring him that he had every intention of staying in his life. Despite his many similarities to their father, Severide wasn’t like Benny — he wasn’t going anywhere.
