The Chicago Fire Cast's Real-Life Partners

We've been obsessed with putting out fires and dealing with emergencies ever since "Chicago Fire" burst onto our screens in 2012. The show's large ensemble cast is part of what makes it so riveting to watch, with big names like Dermot Mulroney, David Eigenberg, and Jocelyn Hudon giving stellar performances that keep fans coming back time and time again. While we're obsessed with the complex relationships of the characters, we can't help but wonder who the actors are getting up close and personal with in real life, too. 

Over the years, the show has seen an influx of new cast members coming on board to work alongside the series' veterans, leading to a noticeable variance in the age of the actors. Some stars are happily married with grandchildren, while other faces are still enjoying that newlywed buzz. And some haven't quite made it down the aisle yet. Just like their characters, the romantic lives of the cast are diverse, with some great love stories thrown in for good measure. One actor even found their future spouse in the "Chicago Fire" makeup department! 

Taylor Kinney plays the ruggedly handsome Kelly Severide in "Chicago Fire," but he's no Hollywood rookie. The actor has been toiling away in the industry for years, starring in movies like "The Other Woman" and "Zero Dark Thirty." Fans may also remember that he had a long relationship with Lady Gaga. The pair even got engagedbefore calling it quits in 2016. What you don't know about Kinney is that this bad romance (pardon the pun) didn't stop him from looking for love; he started dating model Ashley Cruger in 2022, making their red carpet debut at a charity event in the spring. Things seemed to heat up quickly between the pair, with Cruger appearing as a background extra in an episode of "Chicago Fire" the same year they went public. 

When you know, you know — so, in April 2024, Kinney and Cruger made things official by getting hitched in an intimate ceremony in Chicago. While the happily married couple have been photographed with each other at numerous events, they like to keep details about their private life to themselves. However, we know that Cruger is an accomplished woman, with a degree in journalism from the University of Iowa under her belt, as well as a modeling contract with BMG Models. At the time of writing in February 2025, some of Kinney's followers have speculated that they have since separated, but there's no official confirmation to back this up. 

For movie fans growing up in the '90s, Dermot Mulroney was the heartthrob who stole Julia Roberts' heart in "My Best Friend's Wedding" and the dreamy boyfriend in "The Wedding Date" opposite Debra Messing. These days, he's heating up the screen as Battalion Chief Dom Pascal on "Chicago Fire." Mulroney has had a slew of high-profile romances in the past, including a 15-year marriage to fellow actor Catherine Keener. While that union may not have panned out, Mulroney has been happily coupled up with his second wife, Italian singer-songwriter Prima Apollinaare – formerly known as Tharita Cesaroni — since 2008. The pair share two children, Mabel and Sally. All these years later, the couple seems happier than ever. 

In 2024, they appeared on the Fox series "We Are Family" to sing a duet of the Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' iconic classic, "Islands in the Stream." When chatting to Entertainment Weekly about their experience on the game show, Apollinaare gave fans a rare glimpse into their home life. "I play [music] with him all the time in the house," she explained. "We all play instruments. We have harps, guitars, ukuleles, pianos, you name it." Mulroney agreed, telling reporters, "Prima pretty much said it — we're just a really musical family and have that in common." 

Jesse Spencer spent a lot of time in the Windy City while playing Captain Matthew Casey in "Chicago Fire." In 2014, Spencer attended a musical festival, which is where he first met his future wife, Dr. Kali Woodruff Carr. The pair soon became inseparable, though both were arguably very busy. At the time, Woodruff Carr was studying at Northwestern University, while Spencer was working on set. They dated for roughly five years before Spencer got down on one knee and popped the question in possibly the most romantic spot possible: the Peruvian Andes. They said their vows in 2020. 

"She's pretty, smart, and way ahead of her years. We're very happy," the actor gushed to Australia's Daily Telegraph (via People). "She is my port in every storm, and we're already excited to be moving on to the next phase of our lives." The couple found time to welcome a child of their own in 2022. Spencer opted to leave "Chicago Fire" after 10 seasons in 2024, saying he wanted to be there for his family. Since then, Woodruff Carr has enjoyed a pretty high-flying and impressive job, working as a research scientist at Boston Children's Hospital, while Spencer has only appeared in two projects since departing the show — a true crime podcast and "Last Days of the Space Age." 

We just love hearing about actors who fell for their on-screen love interests. However, managing a relationship with someone outside of the entertainment business can be difficult for actors, as schedules can be so demanding and life in the public eye isn't for everyone. It's a good thing this didn't stop these on-screen lovebirds from pursuing their romance off screen. Kara Killmer played the part of Sylvie Brett on the series from 2012 to 2024, starring in an impressive 199 episodes. In 2015, she tried her hand at something slightly different when she signed up for the pirate action caper, "Beyond the Mask." Little did Killmer know that she would end up meeting the love of her life on set. 

The movie's production company, Burns & Co. Productions, posted a sweet tribute to Killmer and her husband, Andrew Cheney, to its Facebook page in 2024. "Andrew Cheney and Kara Killmer, our two lead actors in "Beyond the Mask," had never met before the project. But they really hit it off — so much that they ended up getting married! We love it when we get to see the moviemaking process bring people together," read the post, alongside a few sweet, behind-the-scenes snaps. The loved-up actors tied the knot in 2016. Although Cheney may not have been a regular on a huge series like his wife, you may recognize him from a few projects, such as the 2017 movie "Champion" and the TV series "Vindication," which ran from 2021 to 2025. 

Many "Sex and the City" fans may find themselves wondering how David Eigenberg ended up on "Chicago Fire." We were so used to him playing mild-mannered Steve Brady in the hit comedy show that watching him step into another role — one arguably very different from the last — was a little disconcerting. However, the New York native soon proved that he was up to the task, and at the time of writing in February 2025, Eigenberg is one of the longest-serving cast members of "Chicago Fire." His character, Christopher Herrmann, might be head over heels for his wife Cindy, but there's only one girl on the actor's mind. 

The actor married his wife Chrysti Eigenberg back in 2002, just a year after they met. "We met right after 9/11," he told The Day in 2021 (via Hello). "She'd been activated from [Army] reserve duty and was doing homeland security down in Virginia." Although the star wasn't looking to settle down at the time, he simply couldn't deny the chemistry. He continued, "I met her; it just hit me. That had never happened to me before. It just hit me at the core. Meeting my wife was something that I never anticipated." The relationship went from strength to strength, with the couple welcoming two kids, a son named Louie Steven in 2009 and a daughter named Myrna Belle in 2014. 

It was a dark day for the "Chicago Fire" fandom when British actor Eamonn Walker decided to leave "Chicago Fire" in 2024 after playing Chief Wallace Boden for more than a decade. Walker had been a mainstay since the series debut in 2012, but all good things must come to an end. Throughout his tenure on the series, Walker had the support of his wife Sandra Kane. According to Kane's Facebook page, she was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and studied at the Glasgow School of Art. Her striking black-and-white sketches is certainly impressive, which she frequently shares on Instagram. 

In 2020, she posted a sketch of her husband, which she titled "The Man." Exactly how the couple met and when they tied the knot hasn't been made public knowledge, but we do know that they share three children — twins Jahdine and Deke, along with their youngest son Kane. Some Hollywood couples like to be in the spotlight, but the Walkers prefer to keep things to themselves. At the time of writing in February 2025, Walker hasn't appeared in any TV projects since leaving the hit series. 

Some fans may spend their time wondering what "Chicago Fire" gets wrong about firefighting, or which stars like to hang out together off-screen, but we know the real story lies in the show's makeup department. After all, it's where Joe Minoso, who plays Josef Ignacio "Joe" Cruz on the show, found his true love. Minoso and his wife Caitlin Murphy Miles met back in 2013 when she was a makeup artist on "Chicago Fire." It's hardly surprising that a spark ignited between the pair, as actors often spend a lot of time in the makeup chair. 

They decided to make things official in 2016 when they tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony. The bride wore a striking backless dress, while Minoso opted for a classic tux with a white bow tie. Interestingly, the cast of "Chicago Fire" was heavily involved in the nuptials. Minoso told "The Jam TV Show" in 2018 that Christian Stolte officiated the ceremony and took on a creative role. "We had no idea what to expect of our own wedding until we actually showed up," Minoso shared. "We actually showed up and he had a choir, and Jesse Spencer and Miranda Mayo were playing the violin and the upright bass." 

Hallmark star Jocelyn Hudon's relationship with her husband is something pulled straight out of a Hollywood fairytale. Hudon wasn't one of the OG cast members on "Chicago Fire," as she joined the show fairly late into its run for season 12 as paramedic Lyla Novak. Unlike Joe Minoso, Hudon didn't meet her beau Jake Manley on set but rather through an audition tape. (Don't worry, it's not as weird as it sounds.) "We met through our mutual self-tape coach (the person who films our auditions)," Hudon told Entertainment Tonight in 2020. "We're also with the same acting agent. We ended up driving to our agent's summer party together and have been together ever since." Hudon explained that she took a liking to the other actor when he fetched her a sweater from his trunk when she got cold that evening. The rest is showbiz history. 

Manley popped the question in 2020 by surprising Hudon with 1,000 red roses on the rooftop terrace of an Airbnb they were staying at in Montreal. "Then he got down on one knee and I was like, 'Oh my god, is this real!?' and then he asked me to marry him! I just kind of fell over and said, 'Yes.' I'm still in shock. I love surprises," she told ET. Manley is no stranger to the business, having starred in multiple projects like "The Order" and "The Consultant." The couple decided to do something a little different when they got married, opting to go for a Las Vegas wedding on Halloween in 2021. Hudon wore a short black dress with a dramatic veil, while a zombie Elvis impersonator officiated. 

Jake Lockett is a firm fan favorite on the show as Sam Carver. Even though he joined in season 11, Lockett quickly made his mark as the delightfully complicated firefighter. Much like his character, fans are still trying to figure Lockett out. The actor has been active since 2011 when he appeared in a series of shorts before landing a role in the TV series "In Reverie" In 2012. "Chicago Fire" was a big role for Lockett, thrusting him into the public eye in a way he hadn't experienced before. The star likes to keep his private life relatively private, so he hasn't spoken about his model girlfriend Dominique Domingo or how they met in interviews, but the two do appear on each other's socials now and then.

In 2024, Lockett posted a series of photographs to Instagram of himself and Domingo dressed in black tie at a friend's wedding in Santa Barbara. Fans and friends flocked to the comments to say what a beautiful couple the pair make, and it's not hard to see why. As for Domingo, her Instagram bio states that she's an actor, model, and dancer living between Los Angeles and Chicago. In August 2024, she appeared in a season 2 episode of "That '90s Show," but Domingo's talents don't stop there. In 2023, she posted a video of herself singing a sweet love song while playing an acoustic guitar. The tune, which appears to be a Domingo original, has lyrics such as "I want to envelop you, be in everything you do. I know that this is so uncool, but I just really like you." Clearly, her vulnerability struck a chord with Lockett. 

There's no doubt that Christian Stolte plays one of the best-loved characters in "Chicago Fire." Randall "Mouch" McHolland is lovable, but perhaps not quite as lovable as the actor himself, who is a dedicated family man. Stolte has been married to his wife Kim Whitehead-Stolte for over two decades. In 2021, Whitehead-Stolte posted a series of throwback snaps from their 2001 wedding to Instagram. She captioned it simply, "Happy 20th Anniversary to my guy! Love you forever!" One look at Stolte's own socials shows you that family is a top priority for the actor, who shares two daughters, Corinne Anderson and Greta Stolte, with his wife. 

Both daughters are adults now, and Corinne even made the couple grandparents by welcoming three kids of her own, Margot Eden Thomas, Elodie Mae Thomas, and Odin Arlo Thomas. Whitehead-Stolte seems to spend most of her days enjoying quality time with family and has posted snaps of the Stolte clan enjoying events at Millenium Park, Wrigley Field, and the beach. Not many celeb marriages survive for decades long, even if just one person is in the entertainment industry, so the Stoltes' enduring marriage is certainly worth celebrating. 

All questions about what KaDee Strickland has been doing since "Private Practice" ended were answered when she was announced as Monica Pascal, the wife of new fire chief Dom Pascal, for season 13 of "Chicago Fire." It was an exciting moment for viewers when she joined the show. While her character may be in love with fire squad royalty, Strickland herself only has eyes for her IRL husband Jason Behr, who she first met on the set of the classic horror film "The Grudge" back in 2004. Back in the '90s, Behr was busy starring in projects like "Sherman Oaks," Dawson's Creek," and "Roswell," which secured his status as a teen heartthrob. The painfully handsome couple got married in 2006 but waited until 2020 to start a family, when they welcomed their son, Atticus. 

"I fell madly in love with him, but I had no idea just how extraordinary he was until I saw him become a father," Strickland told People after the birth of her son. "I thought I did, but if a person can become a better version of themselves, which I didn't know was possible with him, he did. He's remarkable. And he was remarkable for me throughout the pregnancy, throughout the birth. Every day, he amazes me."