Jesse Spencer’s Kid Was Born 7 Months After He Quit Chicago Fire — He Left the Show to ‘Take Care’ of His Family
Family man. He may be known as Captain Matthew Casey to Chicago Fire fans, but to Jesse Spencer’s kid with his wife, he’s just dad.
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Chicago Fire is NBC’s drama series following the professional and personal lives of firefighters, rescue personnel and paramedics of the Chicago Fire Department’s fictional Firehouse 51. Spencer made his debut as Captain Matthew Casey, a lieutenant (then captain) at Firehouse 51 and an officer in charge of Truck Company 81, in season 1 of Chicago Fire in 2012.
Spencer told Entertainment Weekly in October 2012 that he was “hesitant” to join Chicago Fire after starring as Dr. Robert Chase for eight seasons on FOX’s medical drama, House. “I was a bit hesitant at the start but the other cast was great and Taylor [Kinney who plays Kelly Severide] is great,” Spencer said. “I met him at the audition, and we got along great. And the writers are awesome. Also, the odds of something going 10 years is actually really slim. But it was a bit scary because I guess it could. If it does, it’s a huge success, which is not a bad thing either. We’re taking it one day at a time. We’ve got to get past the first season and the first 10 episodes before we have to start being concerned about it going for 10 years.”
Spencer left Chicago Fire in season 10 after more than a decade on the series. Why did he leave? Well, Jesse Spencer’s kid and family were part of the reason. Read on for what we know about Jesse Spencer’s kid and his wife in real life.
How many kids does Jesse Spencer have?
How many kids does Jesse Spencer have? Spencer has one child with his wife, neuroscientist Kali Woodruff Carr. Spencer and Carr started dating in 2014 and married in June 2020. They welcomed their first child in April 2022 — six months after Spencer, who was born in Australia, became a United States citizen in November 2021, according to NBC.
As of writing this, there are not many details about Spencer’s family. He does not have a public Instagram account and hasn’t shared photos of his child on his Twitter. However, on a press call after he announced he was leaving Chicago Fire in October 2021, Spencer hinted that the reason he exited the series after 10 seasons was to spend more time with his family. (His first baby was born seven months after his last episode as a series regular aired.)
“I added it up, and this year is my 18th year of network TV, straight — I went straight from House into Chicago Fire,” Spencer said at the time. “Coming up to the 200th, I called [showrunner Derek Haas] and broke him the news that I thought it was time to leave the show. He agreed we should at least get Casey to 200 episodes. “It was a difficult decision because I’ve loved this show from the start, but there’s other things that I would love to do in the future and there’s some family that I need to take care of. 18 years is a long time. That’s a long stretch.” He continued, “It was a difficult decision, and I hate to leave the show because I do love it, but when the time comes, the time comes.”
Spencer went on to call his exit “bitter sweet.” “As a lead, you don’t want to leave a show. But I wanted to leave the show. It was time for me,” Spencer said. “It was OK [saying goodbye] because there is the potential for me to come back. I still am in Chicago right now. I’m not running off to Los Angeles or anything although I might escape for a little bit for the winter. … My home here with my wife is in Chicago, and I’m still going to be here, I’m just stepping back for right now.” He continued, “It’s been an amazing run. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I’ll miss it. I’m stepping away but I’ll be back.”
Spencer’s character, Captain Matthew Casey, left Chicago Fire in Season 10, Episode 5, “Two Hundred,” which was also the show’s 200th episode overall. The episode sees Spencer leave Firehouse 51 and move to Oregon after he’s contacted by Griffin Darden, the son of a firefighter killed in Chicago Fire‘s pilot to ask for help for him and his brother.
Casey, who had become a father figure to the brothers after their dad’s death, decides to move to Oregon to become the boys’ legal guardian to prevent them from being separated and sent to foster care. The episode also sees Casey and his love interest, paramedic Sylvie Brett (played by Kara Kilmer), agree to try to make their relationship work long distance.
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.
For more about Jesse Spencer, check out our photo gallery of Chicago Fire stars and their real-life loves.
