Chicago Fire fans tuning into the fall finale on November 12 were quick to take notice that one notable member of the Firehouse 51 team was missing in action. We’re referring to Miranda Rae Mayo’s Stella Kidd, who did not appear in the final episode of 2025 and whose absence left fans wondering if Kidd had left the show.
Well, the answer to that question is yes, Mayo has left Chicago Fire, but this is not a permanent exit or a leave of absence situation. Rather, the show simply has written her character out of the show via a storyline that will sideline Kidd for a brief period of time.
CHICAGO FIRE — “Mercy” Episode 1404 — Pictured: Miranda Rae Mayo as Stella Kidd — (Photo by: Peter Gordon/NBC)
What happened to Kidd on Chicago Fire?
In Chicago Fire season 14, episode 6, Kidd began to look into new rehab facilities for Isaiah’s mom out of concern that she wasn’t getting the care she needed following her latest medical setback. Throughout the episode, Kidd tried calling around to find a more reputable rehab facility that would have an opening, but every facility she called had a waiting list and no open rooms.
When dropping a patient off at Chicago Med, inspiration struck to ask Dr. Goodwin if she had any recommendations. In speaking with Kidd, Goodwin revealed that she had a contact who ran a rehab facility that could take care of Isaiah’s mom and ensure she was receiving the best possible care. The only problem was that the facility happened to be based in Cleveland.
Wanting to make sure Isaiah’s mom is taken care of, Kidd decided to take Goodwin up on her offer and helped arrange for Isaiah’s mom to be transferred to the Cleveland clinic. When sharing the news with Isaiah, Kidd revealed that they were going to head to Cleveland for a few weeks as well to help his mom get settled in.
CHICAGO FIRE — “Mercy” Episode 1404 — Pictured: Miranda Rae Mayo as Stella Kidd — (Photo by: Peter Gordon/NBC)
Kidd will be back, we just don’t know when
The good news is that Kidd will return and has not left Chicago Fire. The bad news is that we don’t know exactly how long Kidd will be away with Isaiah in Cleveland.
It was revealed via the conversation between Severide, Kidd, and Isaiah in episode 6 that the plan was for Kidd and Isaiah to spend a few weeks in Cleveland. What was not revealed was the exact number of weeks the pair will be in Cleveland.
We also have to consider that Chicago Fire doesn’t exactly follow a normal timeline. It’s not as though the same amount of time passes between episodes, or even in episodes. Some episodes take place over the course of one day, while others take place over a few days time. There are times when an episode picks up right after the previous episode, and others where a week or two have passed between.
Because of this, it makes it hard to know how much time will pass in between episodes and just how quickly those “couple of weeks” Kidd and Isaiah left Chicago to be in Cleveland for will span within the show. Our guess is that Kidd should be back after just a few episodes, but there’s always the possibility that the show could drag things out and keep Kidd off the screen for several episodes in a row.
We know series regulars tend to miss about two to four episodes a season, so this could be the show’s way of writing Miranda Rae Mayo out in an organic way that will ensure that once she’s back, fans won’t have to worry about Kidd disappearing again!
