You may remember Taylor Kinney’s super high-profile romance with a certain superstar. Yep, the actor was once engaged to none other than Lady Gaga after he asked her to marry him on the most romantic day of the year, Valentine’s Day, in 2015. However, this one just wasn’t meant to be. By July 2016, People confirmed that the two wouldn’t be heading down the aisle together after all and reported that they’d decided to split.
However, Gaga isn’t the only familiar face Kinney has romanced. Following his breakup with the “Bad Romance” hitmaker, the actor moved on with Ashley Cruger, and, we have to say, these two are total couple goals. Kinney and Cruger have been together since at least April 2022 when they hit the red carpet together for an Operation Smile event, looking totally loved up as the cameras snapped away. But, that’s hardly the only time Cruger has appeared in front of the cameras. Oh, no. If you think you might just recognize Cruger and you’re a fan of “Chicago Fire,” well, you probably do.
Ashley Cruger appeared as an extra on ‘Chicago Fire’
It turns out Ashley Cruger made a small appearance on the first episode of “Chicago Fire” Season 11, titled “Hold on Tight,” which aired in September 2022. Cruger, who’s since made her account private, confirmed her appearance on Twitter and hinted it was her loving boyfriend who got her the opportunity, writing, “First episode of ‘Chicago Fire’ aired last night and I got to sneak on. Ily @taylorkinney111.” Cruger isn’t officially credited for the role and her character doesn’t have an official name, though the scene happened towards the end of the episode and saw her inside Molly’s Pub celebrating with some of the firefighters. One person she didn’t interact with, though? Taylor Kinney’s character, Lieutenant Kelly Severide.
Kinney’s sweet gesture for his girlfriend proves he has no problem sharing the spotlight, which is probably no surprise seeing as he was always so conscious of letting his ex have her moment. Lady Gaga admitted back in 2016 prior to their split that Kinney actually turned down a presenting role at the Golden Globes in order to let her shine (the star won in the Best Performance in a Miniseries or Television Film category for her work on “American Horror Story: Hotel”). “Do you want to know something wonderful? They asked him to present tonight but he said no because he just wanted it to be my night and he wanted to support me. Isn’t that special?” she gushed to People.
Will Ashley Cruger and Taylor Kinney ever return to ‘Chicago Fire’?
It’s unclear whether Ashley Cruger will ever pop up in “Chicago Fire” again, but she’s clearly a fan of the show. In December 2022, the star took to Instagram to show off a sentimental Christmas tree decoration that appeared to be a nod to the NBC drama. Cruger uploaded a look at her shiny fire engine ornament (complete with a silver glitter ladder!) which she captioned with a Santa Claus emoji.
If Cruger does ever make her way back onto the “Chicago Fire” set, it could well be without her boyfriend by her side. Back in January, a source close told Deadline that the actor would be taking a leave of absence from the show due to what the outlet described as a personal issue. Deadline then confirmed four months later that the actor would be MIA for the big Season 11 finale. During the episode, viewers found out that Taylor Kinney’s character had actually left Chicago to enroll on an arson investigation training program, leaving it up in the air as to whether or not he’ll ever actually return.
