Chicago Fire: Mouch Actor Kept Gaslighting Fans As Long As He Could

Summary:

• Chicago Fire Season 11 ended with a cliffhanger that implied Mouch’s death.
• Mouch’s actor, Christian Stolte, kept supporting this fear on his Instagram.
• Season 12 premiere revealed that Mouch survived and returned to action.

Chicago Fire Season 11 left fans nervous about their favorite characters’ fates, and the cliffhanger power was strong. The fates of Kelly Severide (and his relationship with Stella Kidd) and the one and only Mouch were up in the air — and while Taylor Kinney stayed under the radar, Christian Stolte indulged in gaslighting fans.

Mouch Almost Died in Season 11 Finale

The finale of the now-penultimate Chicago Fire season saw shivers down fans’ spines with a brutal cliffhanger. Wounded by shrapnel, Mouch — everyone’s sweetheart — was dying on the hospital bed, and the last scene saw his heart stop beating as Herrmann tried to grab a doctor to save him, full panic mode.

Considering that Mouch had already fooled death once in a similar passion before the Season 11 finale, many fans were scared that this time, the veteran firefighter would not make it. This theory was seemingly confirmed by Christian Stolte, the Mouch actor, who couldn’t resist the urge to gaslight fans on his social media.

“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,” the actor wrote on his Instagram the night before the final episode.

It’s safe to say that fans were worried for Mouch and nervously anticipated the resolution which would only come in Season 12.

Leaked Photo Revealed Mouch’s Fate

Like many other shows, Chicago Fire suffers from occasional leaks that spoil future episodes. This is exactly what happened two months ago when, between Seasons 11 and 12, someone took a picture of Christian Stolte on a filming location wearing his firefighter uniform. Some fans suggested it could be for a flashback scene.

But the majority of fans had no doubt that Mouch would survive and return in Season 12. This quickly became no one’s news, and the viewers largely stopped worrying about Christian Stolte’s character. The actor just couldn’t let it slide!

Mouch’s Actor Kept Gaslighting Fans

Even though most fans had no doubts about Mouch’s fate, there were still many who either didn’t see the leaked photo or “didn’t buy” into its implications. They were still afraid of losing their favorite Firehouse 51 veteran, and Christian Stolte kept playing with their feelings right until the premiere, using his social media in a similar fashion.

“Congratulations and best of luck to my Chicago Fire family, on tonight’s Season 12 Premiere! Thank you all for 11 spectacular years! Just know I’ll be watching over y’all tonight, from up here on this cold-ass roof. TRUCK UP!” Stolte wrote both on his Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) pages.

Apparently, the actor’s provocative posts still somewhat reached their goal even despite the already-leaked photos. Some fans admitted they were genuinely scared.

“I almost called my mom to warn her because she would have been in tears if something bad happened to Mouch taking you off the show. I fell asleep before I could, but luckily I didn’t need to call her afterall! You and Trudy are her favorite characters in the One Chicago world,” X user Katie Isbell replied to Stolte.

Fortunately, the Season 12 premiere proved everyone’s fears wrong: Mouch is back in action, and we’re all happy. Firehouse 51 would’ve been too empty without our favorite veteran!