Surprise! Chicago Fire’s Taylor Kinney Is Married — and His Wedding Shares *One* Key Detail with Stellaride’s

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Taylor Kinney is officially a married man! The Chicago Fire star and his girlfriend of two years, Ashley Cruger, wed on April 30.

Kinney’s rep confirmed the happy news to PEOPLE, revealing that the couple tied the knot in a small, private ceremony in Chicago, where Kinney has been filming Season 12 of the hit NBC procedural. (Kinney’s Chicago Fire character, Kelly Severide, also married his wife, Stella McKidd, in a small, intimate ceremony in Chicago in the drama’s Season 10 finale.) Along with announcing their wedding, PEOPLE also published an exclusive photo of the newlyweds, which shows the actor carrying Cruger on his back as she flashes her engagement ring.

The pair first went public with their relationship in April 2022, when they attended a charity event for Operation Smile in Park City, Utah. They were photographed in New York City the following month and walked the red carpet together at the Monte Carlo TV Festival that June. Kinney made their romance Instagram official in March 2022, sharing a photo of the model getting her nails done.

Neither Kinney nor Cruger has spoken about their relationship publicly, but the couple have shared a few rare glimpses into their life together on social media. In July 2022, Kinney posted a selfie of him and Cruger sticking their tongues out at each other. “I love you savage,” was written across the image. In October 2023, Cruger shared a series of photos from an apple picking trip, and Kinney can be seen holding a box full of apples in the last shot. Following their nuptials, Cruger changed her last name to Kinney on Instagram.

Their marriage is the first for the Chicago Fire heartthrob, who was previously engaged to singer Lady Gaga. After five years together, the two called off their engagement in July 2016. Not long after the breakup, Kinney spoke about the qualities he was looking for in a partner. “I don’t think I have a type. I think it’s more of an energy,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “I think of compatibility as the intangibles of something, and someone that you meet and connect with, and someone you can laugh with, and maybe share a [similar] sense of humor, then things go from there.”

He also joked that, at the time, he was living “vicariously” through his Chicago Fire character’s love life. Kinney has been portraying Severide since Season 1 and he is one of five remaining original cast members, along with David Eigenberg, Christian Stolte, Eamonn Walker and Joe Minoso.

Kinney’s marriage news comes shortly after the actor returned to the franchise following a temporary leave of absence. A source close to production told Deadline in January 2023 that Kinney was taking a “leave of absence” from Chicago Fire to deal with a “personal matter.” He came back for Season 12, which kicked off on Jan. 17, 2024, and concludes on May 22, 2024. The show has already been renewed for a 13th season, but Kinney’s involvement has not yet been confirmed.

Chicago Fire airs on NBC on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST and streams on Peacock.

For more on Chicago Fire, check out this gallery on the cast’s real-life partners.