Chicago Fire fans were heartbroken when it was announced in January that Taylor Kinney would be taking a leave of absence from the NBC show.
While the star has remained fairly quiet on social media all year, his girlfriend Ashley Cruger recently shared a new photo of the Vampire Diaries actor enjoying dinner out with friends.
Taking to Instagram earlier this month, Ashley posted a picture from inside a rustic-looking restaurant which showed the model sitting opposite her boyfriend while enjoying food and drink with friends.
© Ashley Cruger/InstagramTaylor, who plays Lieutenant Kelly Severide in the procedural drama, wore a smile on his face as he posed with his arm around one of his buddies, who was holding an adorable puppy.
This is Taylor's first social media appearance since Ashley shared a post in April that showed the couple looking super loved while celebrating the Easter holidays. Alongside three selfies of the pair, including one of them sharing a passionate kiss, the model wrote in the caption: "Happy Easter".
© Ashley Cruger/InstagramWhy did Taylor Kinney leave Chicago Fire?
Back in January, Deadline reported that the 42-year-old would be taking a break from his role on the show in order to deal with an undisclosed personal matter. The outlet stated that future scripts would need to be changed to accommodate his absence.
When will Taylor Kinney return to Chicago Fire?
NBC has yet to confirm when exactly Taylor will return to the show.
In the actor's final episode, Severide left the Windy City for a prestigious OFI training camp in Alabama, leaving behind his wife, Stella Kidd [Miranda Rae Mayo].
© GettyIn a later instalment, it was revealed that the Lieutenant had left the camp to investigate a major arson case but had neglected to inform his wife, nor his team back at Firehouse 51. The news was discovered by Joe Cruz, who was told by one of the academy's leaders.
While we don't know whether Taylor will be back in series 12, it's been confirmed that the main cast, including Miranda Rae Mayo, Kara Killmer, Hanako Greensmith and David Eigenberg, will appear in fewer episodes due to budget cuts.
When will Chicago Fire return to screens?
Production on Chicago Fire season 12 has been delayed due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
MORE: Chicago P.D. cast praised by fans after making incredible gesture amid season 11 delay
READ: Why these One Chicago stars left the franchise and where they are now
Industry insiders have predicted that the strike will end in the fall, which means filming for new episodes should kick off in the following weeks.
© NBCConsidering new episodes of One Chicago shows haven't been included in NBC's fall schedule, it's likely that the upcoming seasons will arrive in 2024.
Chicago P.D. star LaRoyce Hawkins gave an update on filming while speaking at an acting masterclass lecture at Louisiana State University in June.
© NBC"Naturally, after the writers strike, it's going to take the writers a while to start warming up their rooms again and starting to conceptualize stories again," he said. "So we might need like a three-week buffer."
