Chicago P.D. Star to Exit in Season 11
Tracy Spiridakos will be leaving her role as Hailey Upton in Season 11.
Chicago P.D. is about to lose another major cast member. On Tuesday, a report from Variety confirmed that Tracy Spiridakos, who stars as Hailey Upton on the series, will be exiting in its upcoming eleventh season. It is unclear at this point when Spiridakos will exit from the series, or how many episodes of Season 11 she will be a part of, especially amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors strike.
Spiridakos joined Chicago P.D. in its fourth season, and quickly became a fan-favorite on the show and in the larger One Chicago universe. She subsequently reprised her role on Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and FBI, and appeared in a total of 127 episodes.
Why Did Jesse Lee Soffer Leave Chicago P.D.?
This is the latest major casting upset surrounding the One Chicago universe, after Jesse Lee Soffer departed the show during Season 10. Soffer portrayed Jay Halstead, the husband of Spiridakos' Hailey, who left Chicago to work in Bolivia as an Army leader, working with a squad to take down drug cartels.
"I want to thank the incredible fans for their unwavering support during the past 10 years and want to express my deepest gratitude to Dick Wolf and everyone at Wolf Entertainment, Peter Jankowski, Matt Olmstead, Derek Haas, Michael Brandt, Rick Eid, Gwen Sigan, NBC, Universal Television, my fellow castmates and our incredible crew," Soffer said in a statement to Variety on Monday when his exit was first announced. "To create this hour drama week after week has been a labor of love by everyone who touches the show. I will always be proud of my time as Det. Jay Halstead."
Will Halstead Return to Chicago P.D.?
As Soffer explained shortly after his exit, he would definitely be open to reprising his role, especially in order to provide closure for Jay and Hailey's relationship.
"Never say never. I feel so bad for the fans that are like, 'Is he going to come back?' 'What's he going to do?' 'What's going on with him and Hailey?" Soffer said at the time. "I like to think — and I hope the fans think this too — that he's just in another country right now, doing what he does best and making the world a safer place. In a family, sometimes somebody moves away or goes to college somewhere else. I still love it. I still love the fans. And I still love Halstead. Halstead's always going to be in my blood. That's never going to change."
When Will Chicago P.D. Season 11 Premiere?
As mentioned above, the SAG-AFTRA strike is putting the filming of Chicago P.D. Season 11 on hold. Following the end of the Writers Guild of America strike earlier this fall, Chicago P.D. was one of several shows produced by Dick Wolf to quickly resume writing on their respective new seasons. These also include Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, and FBI: International.
What do you think of Tracy Spiridakos' Hailey Upton leaving Chicago P.D.? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
