Born on July 15, 1981, Taylor Jackson Kinney is an American model and actor. He portrayed Phil in The Other Woman, Jared in The Vampire Diaries, Mason Lockwood in The Vampire Diaries, and Lieutenant Kelly Severide of the Chicago Fire Department in the American drama Chicago Fire. On Shameless, he also portrayed Craig, one of Fiona’s several suitors.
| Born | 15 July 1981 (age 42 years), Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Full name | Taylor Jacks Kinney |
| Parents | Pamela Heisler, Daniel Kinney |
| Siblings | Ryan Kinney, Trent Kinney, Adam Kinney |
| Alma mater | West Virginia University |
| Education | Lancaster Mennonite School |
Early life and Education
The birthplace of Taylor Kinney is Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He received his diploma from Lancaster Mennonite School in 2000. Kinney attended West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, to study business management.
Career
Kinney played Luke Gianni on Fashion House (2006) on MyNetworkTV, and played Glenn Morrison on Trauma on NBC. Kinney had a recurring role on the supernatural drama The Vampire Diaries, joining the cast during the second season as Mason Lockwood. In 2011, Kinney was featured in Lady Gaga’s music video for the song “You and I.
In 2012, Kinney landed a starring role on Chicago Fire, a drama series that follows the lives of firefighters and paramedics. Kinney plays Lieutenant Kelly Severide on Rescue Squad 3 opposite former House star Jesse Spencer. Also in 2012, Kinney appeared on the big screen in Kathryn Bigelow’s acclaimed war drama Zero Dark Thirty. In 2012, he guest starred on Shameless as Craig, the former high school crush of the lead character Fiona (played by Emmy Rossum).
Personal life
Kinney began dating singer-songwriter Lady Gaga in July 2011. They first met in Nebraska while working on the music video for her song “You and I”, and started dating soon afterwards. They became engaged in February 2015, but ended up calling off their engagement in July 2016.
Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney’s Relationship Timeline: A Look Back
Global superstar Lady Gaga has admitted to having her fill of bad romances, but it would seem that her nearly-five-year love affair with Chicago Fire actor Taylor Kinney was quite good (despite their breakup, of course). After making an unforgettable first impression on the multi-Grammy award winner at work, the two kept it on the DL — until they didn’t. Who can forget their infamous (read: very naked) cover of V Magazine? And what about their utterly romantic Valentine’s Day engagement?
Although the pair decided to part ways in 2016, things still appear amicable between them. In fact, the singer gave her ex a shoutout while performing at a Pennsylvania rally for Joe Biden before the 2020 election. As for Kinney “liking” a negative Instagram comment about Gaga, it was a total accident.
So how did the Oscar winner and The Vampire Diaries alum go from perfect strangers to googly-eyed lovers to friendly exes, exactly? Here’s a look back at Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney’s relationship.
July 2011: Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney first meet
The pair first locked eyes — and lips — on the set of Gaga’s iconic “Yoü and I” music video back in 2011. When the cameras began rolling, Kinney, an actor in the video, went off-script.
“I went up and I kissed her, and she didn’t expect it, and they cut and she slapped me,” Kinney told Andy Cohen during a 2015 episode of Watch What Happens Live. “It was just awkward. And the next take I just did it again.”
While that doesn’t sound like the most winning first impression, Gaga told Ellen DeGeneres that she didn’t mind the overture, though she was confused by it.
“I’ve got these pins sticking out of my head and I’m wearing cork and I’ve got no hair and I’m bald,” she said of her on-set look. “We were in the middle of this scene and I remember that he kissed me and it wasn’t scripted for him to kiss me. I was sort of like, ‘Uh, you know, was that real or was that fake?’ And he just didn’t really say anything, and that was fine by me and we just kept filming.
February 14, 2015: Taylor Kinney proposes to Lady Gaga
Kinney proposed on Valentine’s Day in 2015, first presenting the pop star with a ring pop and then breaking out a heart-shaped diamond. “First he gave me a Ring Pop. That was kind of amazing and I was crying, I was so excited,” Gaga told Access Hollywood of the proposal. “I said, “Yes!” right away and then he pulled out the heart-shaped diamond. First it was candy. I was happy with the candy.
Addressing the “M” word just two months before Kinney proposed, Gaga told ABC News, “If I get married I’m gonna be like hanging out of a pickup truck in a David’s Bridal [gown] while my stylist is screaming at me, trying to put a blonde wig on my head!” But alas, her insouciant wedding day dreams with the Zero Dark Thirty cast member would not be coming to fruition.
July 2016: Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney break Up
In July 2016, People reported that Gaga and Kinney had split (and, ostensibly, called off the David’s Bridal-inspired wedding). One day later, the Art Pop singer shared her own statement via Instagram.
Taylor and I have always believed we are soulmates,” she wrote. “Just like all couples we have ups and downs, and we have been taking a break. We are both ambitious artists, hoping to work through long-distance and complicated schedules to continue the simple love we have always shared. Please root us on. We’re just like everybody else and we really love each other.
Did Taylor Kinney get Married?
Kinney isn’t married, nor has he ever been. That said, he is in a relationship with model Ashley Cruger. She is his first public girlfriend since his split from Lady Gaga in 2016.
Kinney and Cruger, a model, were first linked in April 2022 after they were photographed together on the red carpet of an event in Park City, Utah. They went Instagram official with their relationship in June 2022, and walked their second red carpet together (where they were photographed showing major PDA) a month later. In September 2022, Cruger made a cameo in the Season 11 premiere of Chicago Fire, which saw her toasting firefighters from Firehouse 51 at Molly’s Bar. (Kinney’s character, Lieutenant Kelly Severide, was not in the scene.) Cruger confirmed the cameo in an Instagram Story at the time. “First episode of Chicago Fire aired last night and I got to sneak on,” she wrote. “Ily @taylorkinney111.
After months of social media silence, Cruger confirmed she and Kinney were still together with a tweet in April 2023. The tweet included a photo of Cruger, Kinney and their friends at a restaurant. “So happy to see you and Taylor out with friends,” a Twitter user commented. Cruger also confirmed she and Kinney were still together later that month with a series of photos on Twitter of them celebrating Easter, which included a shot of them kissing. “Happy Easter,” Cruger captioned the photos.
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