Taylor Kinney's wife Ashley Cruger: marriage and timeline

Taylor Kinney is married to Ashley Cruger, a former BMG Models talent and University of Iowa journalism graduate who keeps a low public profile. The Chicago Fire star wed Cruger in a small private Chicago ceremony on April 30, 2024, after dating since at least March 2022, as Season 15 keeps him on screen.

Key Takeaways

• Taylor Kinney married Ashley Cruger on April 30, 2024, in a small private Chicago ceremony after wrapping Season 12 of Chicago Fire.
• Cruger, seven years younger than Kinney, earned a journalism degree from the University of Iowa in 2017 and once worked in sales, marketing, and modeling.
• The couple has been together since at least March 2022 and made their red carpet debut at the Monte Carlo TV Festival in June 2022.
• Kinney had never been married before Cruger; he was previously engaged to Lady Gaga from 2015 until their split in 2016.
• Cruger keeps a quieter public life than her husband and has made her social media private.

Who is Taylor Kinney's wife Ashley Cruger?

Ashley Cruger is the wife of Chicago Fire star Taylor Kinney, who plays Captain Kelly Severide on the long-running NBC drama. While Kinney's on-screen romance with Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) draws weekly attention, his real-life partner prefers to stay largely out of the spotlight.

Cruger is seven years her husband's junior. She earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Iowa in 2017. According to a LinkedIn profile that NBC reviewed before it was deleted, she held jobs in sales and marketing. She was also once signed to BMG Models in Chicago, though she no longer appears on the agency's site.

Beyond those career markers, public details remain scarce. Cruger made her social media private, and reports note that little is confirmed about her current occupation. That contrast—Kinney as a network lead and Cruger as a private partner—helps explain why searches for taylor kinney often pivot to questions about his marriage.

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When did Taylor Kinney and Ashley Cruger get married?

People confirmed that Kinney, now 45, and Cruger married on April 30, 2024. They held a small, private ceremony in Chicago after Kinney finished shooting Season 12 of Chicago Fire. The timing kept the wedding close to his work base and away from a large public spectacle.

Cruger marked the milestone on Instagram Stories on May 14. She shared a photo of Kinney giving her a piggyback ride, set to Taylor Swift's "But Daddy I Love Him," and captioned it "Mr. & Mrs. Kinney." The lighthearted post was one of the few direct public acknowledgments of their wedding.

Their dating timeline stretches back further. Kinney and Cruger have been together since at least March 2022, when he posted his first Instagram photo of her. The next month they were seen skiing in Utah. In June 2022 they made their red carpet debut together at the 61st Monte Carlo TV Festival.

For a fuller celebrity rundown drawn from the same reporting, see Yahoo's entertainment feature on Kinney and Cruger.

How have Taylor Kinney and Ashley Cruger handled public attention?

The couple rarely discusses their relationship in interviews. Still, Hello! reported that Cruger addressed fan comments in 2023 via Instagram Stories. In one video she said she sometimes sees comments and sometimes does not, adding that it does not matter either way.

She also joked about a harsh remark, saying someone claimed Kinney was with her "because I'm good in bed," then quipped that the commenter was invited to her wedding and giving "bridesmaid energy, maybe flower girl." In another post she said she would not make hate comments her whole personality, noting that people are usually "really really sweet and kind."

That measured tone matches her low-profile approach. Kinney has shared occasional photos of Cruger, but she remains far less visible than many celebrity spouses. With Chicago Fire in Season 15, interest in taylor kinney's off-screen life continues even as Cruger stays largely private.

Was Taylor Kinney married before Ashley Cruger?

Kinney had not been married before Cruger, but he was previously engaged. He met Lady Gaga on the set of her "Yoü and I" music video in 2011, playing her love interest. They dated until July 2016. People reported that the engagement ended after Kinney proposed on Valentine's Day 2015.

Around the proposal, Gaga told Howard Stern she could not imagine being with anyone else and called him "the right guy." When the engagement ended, she told E! that she and Kinney had always believed they were soulmates, had ups and downs, and had been taking a break. Over the years they supported each other's careers and appeared at industry events together.

Gaga has since moved on with entrepreneur Michael Polansky, who proposed to her in April 2024—the same month Kinney and Cruger wed. The overlap underscores how both former partners found new chapters after a high-profile relationship that defined much of Kinney's early fame.

Separately, Chicago Fire itself is in transition: NIU Today reported that original cast member Joe Minoso exited after 15 years, with only Taylor Kinney, David Eigenberg, and Christian Stolte remaining from the original ensemble. That longevity keeps Kinney central to the franchise—and keeps curiosity about his marriage high among viewers.

Bottom line: Ashley Cruger is Taylor Kinney's first wife, a journalism graduate and former model who married the Chicago Fire lead in a private 2024 Chicago ceremony after more than two years together. She remains intentionally private while he continues as one of the show's longest-running stars.