Chicago P.D. Fan-Favorite Star to Exit Series After 10 Seasons

By Jenna Anderson

A mainstay of Chicago P.D. is officially leaving the series. On Monday, Variety confirmed that Jesse Lee Soffer will be exiting the show after its upcoming tenth season. Soffer has portrayed Detective Jay Halstead since the Season 2 premiere of Chicago Fire, and has appeared in all 187 episodes of Chicago P.D. thus far. His departure will officially take place sometime this fall. It is unclear at this point how he will be written out of the show, especially now that Halstead has married Detective Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiradakos) and become a significant part of the series' titular police department.

"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. "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.""

One of the many shows within Dick Wolf's arsenal of television, Chicago P.D. has become a phenomenon as part of the larger "One Chicago" franchise, which also includes the aforementioned Chicago Fire and Chicago Med. As Wolf revealed in an interview earlier this year, he would not be opposed to the idea of a larger crossover between the One Chicago franchise and the Law & Order and FBI worlds.

"It's a constant exploration of possibilities," Wolf said at the time. "There are 56 actors under contract. The concept is there are nine shows, and anybody who's in any of the nine shows can appear in the other eight, even on different networks. It's pretty cool."

"It's very comforting to know absolutely what the legacy will be into the future," Wolf added. "This company has produced and has clear ownership [stakes] in the longest-running dramas in the history of television ['Law & Order: SVU' is wrapping up Season 23]. I don't think anybody's ever gonna catch us. And it ain't over."

What do you think of Jesse Lee Soffer leaving Chicago P.D. next season? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Chicago P.D. will return with new episodes on Wednesday, September 21st at 10/9c on NBC.

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