Being a Kelly Severide fan has never been easy — but in Season 12 of Chicago Fire, it’s starting to feel like an endurance test. Taylor Kinney’s character has been one of the franchise’s most beloved faces since the very first episode, his quiet intensity and reckless bravery defining the show’s heart. Yet in recent years, viewers have been forced to deal with Severide vanishing from Firehouse 51 more often than he’s been present, and it looks like that frustrating trend is about to repeat itself.
According to TVLine, Episode 11 of Season 12 will center on Severide pulling another late-night disappearing act — this time with an engine missing from the firehouse floor and his phone left behind on the squad table. His wife, Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), will be the one to discover the eerie scene, sparking a tense and self-contained thriller as she sets out to track him down.
Showrunner Andrea Newman teased that the episode will highlight Stella as a “warrior woman” on a mission, but her words also confirm that Severide’s absence isn’t permanent. That’s some relief for viewers, given the recent exodus of major Chicago Fire characters, from Jesse Spencer’s Casey to Kara Killmer’s Sylvie Brett. Still, even the reassurance that Severide won’t be gone long hasn’t eased fan frustrations.
A Pattern Fans Can’t Ignore
Severide’s storylines have always revolved around risk, fire, and family, but lately, they’ve been just as much about absence. In Season 11, Taylor Kinney stepped away from the series for personal reasons, leaving the writers scrambling to explain Severide’s off-screen activities. The solution? A long-term undercover ATF assignment that kept him away from Chicago and from Stella.
For Stella, this was a bitter echo of her own extended absence in Season 10, when Miranda Rae Mayo temporarily exited the show. Writers had her run her Girls on Fire mentorship program out of town, leaving Kelly in the lurch. By the time Stella returned for their wedding, the balance of their marriage was already precarious.
What was meant to be a celebration of their future together instead became the beginning of a cycle: one leaves, the other waits, and fans grow increasingly restless.
The Strain on Stellaride
Since their wedding, the promise of a strong, united Stella and Kelly has been constantly undermined by circumstance. Stella gave her blessing for Severide to chase his dreams with the ATF, but her patience wore thin as his undercover stint dragged on. Their Season 11 storylines left her in Chicago balancing leadership responsibilities and loneliness, while Kelly pursued dangerous assignments far from home.
Season 12 initially looked brighter. With Severide back in town and the couple sharing the screen again, fans dared to hope for a more stable chapter in their love story. But Episode 11’s setup suggests that the writers aren’t done pulling the rug out from under Stellaride — and the audience.
Why Fans Are Growing Impatient
The problem isn’t just that Severide keeps vanishing — it’s that Chicago Fire seems unable to let him and Stella build momentum as a married couple. Their relationship is a fan favorite, built over years of chemistry, heartbreak, and resilience. Viewers have watched them overcome rivalries, distance, and personal demons. What they haven’t seen much of is the everyday life of a married duo balancing love and duty inside Firehouse 51.
Instead, each season feels like another test of endurance, with absences, missed connections, and fleeting reunions. For some fans, that’s becoming harder to accept — especially given Taylor Kinney’s central role in the show’s identity. Severide isn’t just another character. He’s the beating heart of Chicago Fire’s DNA.
What Comes Next for Severide?
Despite the frustrations, there is good news. Showrunner Andrea Newman has emphasized that Severide is not exiting Chicago Fire for the foreseeable future. His “self-contained thriller” episode is designed to be suspenseful, not permanent. That means fans can expect him back at Firehouse 51 — hopefully with more consistent screen time as Season 12 moves toward its finale.
But the bigger question remains: will the writers finally allow Stellaride to thrive on screen as a married couple, or will fans have to brace for yet another cycle of absences and heartache?
One thing is certain: Severide’s disappearing acts may be good for drama, but for fans who’ve stuck by him through 12 seasons, patience is wearing dangerously thin.
