Does Mouch Die on Chicago Fire? Christian Stolte Posted an Emotional Farewell As His Character Flatlined

When we were predicting who the psychic meant when they said that Herrmann was going to feel “great pain” soon – we didn’t think it was going to be Mouch. After a devastating twist in the Chicago Fire Season 11 finale, we’re all left wondering: Does Mouch die on Chicago Fire? Warning: Spoilers below.
Chicago Fire is NBC’s popular drama series in the One Chicago universe that follows the stories of firefighters, rescue personnel and paramedics of the Chicago Fire Department’s fictional Firehouse 51. Christian Stolte plays longtime firefighter Randall McHolland (known to the firehouse as “Mouch”). He earned the nickname due to his love for the station’s couch (Mouch is almost always sitting on the couch watching television when he’s not on call).
Stolte has been with the procedural since the very first season in 2012 and is one of the few remaining original firefighters left (along with David Eigenberg, Eamonn Walker and Taylor Kinney – who is currently taking a temporary leave of absence on the show due to personal reasons). Mouch is also the president of the Firefighter’s Union and a representative who works closely with Firehouse 51 when they have issues with the CFD.
Stolte’s character has endured tragedy before on Chicago Fire. In Season 6, Mouch suffered a heart attack when he was in a burning building. The actor admitted to One Chicago Center in 2018 that there was a point where he wasn’t even sure if Mouch was going to make it. “I knew a little bit before you did [that Mouch lived] but I didn’t know immediately, so I had reached the point where I had to entertain the possibility that I wouldn’t be coming back,” he said. “And that would be heartbreaking because this show has been the gig of a lifetime. The people I get to work with are the best group of people I could possibly ask for.”
He also revealed that his role on Chicago Fire “does beat me up a little bit.” “I think I’m aging a bit more quickly [working] on the show, so maybe that would have been the bright side of my character dying. But it didn’t work out that way, so lucky me,” he added. Ultimately in Season 6, Mouch died briefly off-screen but he was able to be revived. But in the Season 11 finale when Mouch was caught in gunfire – the odds might not be in his favor this time. Does Mouch die on Chicago Fire? Here’s everything we know.
Does Mouch die on Chicago Fire?
Does Mouch die on Chicago Fire? We’re not sure, but things don’t look good for the veteran firefighter. In the Season 11 finale, Mouch was injured when responding to a call about a sniper at a power plant. While Casey, Stella, Carver and Gallo helped stop the sniper – the end result wasn’t exactly what they hoped. Mouch was hit by stray shrapnel during the gunfire. Herrmann rushes to Mouch’s side after he saw the blood and yells that Mouch needs an ambulance fast.
Mouch is rushed to the hospital for his injuries, and the firehouse is eventually alerted that Mouch is alert and recovering. But toward the end of the episode, his condition only worsened. Herrmann was at Mouch’s bedside and saw that his friend was pale. He noticed that Mouch was bleeding out and then he started to flatline. As blood runs off the side of Mouch’s hospital bed, Herrmann screams for a doctor to help. Unfortunately, the episode ends on a cliffhanger with no further updates about Mouch’s status.
The show’s writers have previously stated that beloved characters had to be killed off to remind the audience how dangerous the job is. For example, when deciding to kill of Otis in Season 8, showrunner Derek Haas described speaking with his head writers. “We were talking, we just said, ‘We gotta put some teeth back into the show, and we gotta show that the dangers are real,'” Haas told TV Line in September 2019. “I called Dick Wolf and I said, ‘We’re thinking about killing off Otis,; and I probably talked to him and [Wolf Entertainment President and executive producer] Peter Jankowski for an hour. Dick, who draws on more experience than anyone in the world, said, ‘As long as you’re honest with the storytelling, the audience will go with you.’ So that was it.”
Although we all know that death is a tragic part of the job, that doesn’t mean that fans weren’t distraught at the thought of losing Mouch. Fans expressed their thoughts on social media after watching Mouch approach death’s door. “No no not Mouch! I did not see that coming,” one Twitter user said. “NO MOUCH IT CAN’T BE YOU IT CAN’T MY HEART CANNOT TAKE THIS,” another Twitter user pleaded.
Is Christian Stolte leaving Chicago Fire?
Is Christian Stolte leaving Chicago Fire? We’re not sure yet. We’ll have to wait until the Season 12 premiere this fall for answers. Although, we might receive information about whether Stolte is returning next season that could potentially spoil the cliffhanger (which is what happened with Kim Raver’s Teddy Altman on Grey’s Anatomy).
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During the Season 11 finale, the actor posted a heartfelt tribute to the show on his Instagram page that sounded like a farewell to Chicago Fire. “Our 11th Season Finale airs tonight. No spoilers, I just want to say it’s been an extraordinary 11 years, and I am so very grateful for the experience. Truck on, Chi-Hards. #ChicagoFire #OneChicago,” he wrote in the caption. The post’s comments flooded with worried fans who didn’t want to see the firefighter go. “Hope that wasn’t a goodbye Christian,” one person commented, while another asked: “Are you leaving this show? We cannot do this anymore this entire night has been a nightmare.”
The Season 11 finale was the final episode for showrunner and co-creator Derek Haas. Our sister site Variety reported in November 2022 that he was exiting Wolf Entertainment at the end of the 11th season. Haas helped launch Chicago Fire and the One Chicago franchise with co-creator Michael Brandt. He is also the executive producer on both spinoffs Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med.
For more on Chicago Fire, check out our gallery on the most shocking Chicago Fire deaths we’re still not over.