Marina Squerciati.
Art Strieber/NBCMarina Squerciati has been missing since the beginning of season 12 of The Chicago Police Department — but there was a good reason for her absence: she had another baby!
“2024 it’s been a BIG year for me, literally,” Squerciati, 40, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, December 31, reflecting on the changes in his life.
The actress shared a photo of her bare baby bump in a bikini to show off she was actually pregnant during the year and has since welcomed her and husband Eli Kay-Oliphantis the second baby.
“I thought I handled being a pregnant working mom with grace — swipe to see my daughter’s very different attitude,” she teased, sharing a drawing of her oldest child in which Squerciatti makes a crazy face , while her wife and daughter smile.
Marina Squerciati is just like us: She’s been planning the dream wedding of Chicago Police character Kim Burgess since she got engaged in Season 11. “I know (Burgess’ daughter) Makayla really wants it to be in Belize,” Squerciati, 40 , exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month. “Marina Squerciati would like to be in Belize (…)
Squerciati also explained why he is not in every episode of the current season of The Chicago Police Department., which returns with all-new episodes on Wednesday, January 8. (She has played Kim Burgess since the series premiere in 2014.)
“P.S. THAT was the real reason I wasn’t in the first two episodes of #ChicagoPD,” she added. “I was having a baby. Happy New Year, friends!”
She ended the post with a series of hashtags that summed up her 2024, including “#workingmom,” “#motherofdragons,” “#MamaInMiami,” “#PregnancyGlow,” and “ChicagoPDStrong.”
“Oh my God! HAPPY MOM! ❤️”, fellow actress Katie Stevens writes in the comments section.
Squerciati’s ex The Chicago Police Department costar Tracy Spiridakoswho played Hailey Upton until her Season 11 exit, added three red heart emojis.
Laroyce Hawkins — who plays Burgess’ best friend and fellow intelligence officer, Kevin Atwater — also gushed about her trip. “I’d better do it,” he replied in the comments. “I love you Burgess✨.”
Squerciati didn’t reveal more details about her newborn, which is similar to the approach she took with her first child. The actress welcomed a daughter in May 2017 but kept her name a secret.
However, Squerciati gave fans a glimpse into her life as a mother via social media. Just recently she took her little one to see & Juliet on Broadway in Chicago.
“We don’t need a stinking Romeo,” she wrote the photos from December 5which featured both Squerciati and her daughter wearing wigs for the occasion. “Also, I barely made it back from work! We slapped wigs in the elevator, had dinner at El Platform and had to sprint a few blocks! (Just wanted to give you the reality behind the IG photos 🫠).”
In addition to welcoming a new baby, Squerciati is filming season 12 on The Chicago Police Department Earlier this season, her character became a detective, but fans are still holding out hope for a televised wedding between Burgess and fiancé Adam Ruzek (Patrick Flueger).
Squerciati, in turn, exclusively speaking Us Weekly in November that she’s just as excited about a possible ceremony later this season.
Seasoned Chicago police detectives are the heart of the show, but the complicated romance between Kim Burgess and Adam Ruzek is what keeps many fans coming back. Viewers first saw sparks fly between Burgess (Marina Squerciatti) and Ruzek (Patrick Flueger) during Season 1, Episode 8, when Ruzek was in another relationship. “This is complete (…)
“I recently liked (designer) Samantha Slipper wedding dresses and my Instagram algorithm is screwed,” she said usadding with a laugh: “Instagram thinks I’m getting married!”
After all of Burgess and Ruzek’s ups and downs on the show — they got engaged for the third time in season 11 — Squerciati wants the production to give their all on their big day.
“I want the white dress moment. Burgess needs a white dress,” she admitted. “Burgess definitely picks dahlias as candle centerpieces as well. Come on, give the girl some!’
The Chicago Police Department returns to NBC on Wednesday, January 8 at 10:00 PM ET.
