It’s the comeback no one dared hope for — and now, Chicago P.D. star Tracy Spiridakos is finally opening up about why she returned for one final episode as Detective Hailey Upton, nearly a year after her emotional exit left fans heartbroken. Her reason? It wasn’t about contracts, closure, or camera time — it was about honoring the character that changed her life. “I owed it to her,” Spiridakos confessed quietly in a recent interview. “And to the fans who never stopped believing in her.”
Her surprise return for one last episode of Season 13 had the internet in full meltdown mode. The moment her face appeared on screen — standing in the shadows, watching her old team in action — viewers erupted online. “I screamed when I saw her,” one fan tweeted. “Hailey Upton back on P.D.? I didn’t realize how much I missed her until that second.” Within minutes, #UptonReturns was trending worldwide.
But according to Tracy, the decision to come back wasn’t an easy one. After six intense seasons on the show, she’d made peace with saying goodbye to Hailey. “Leaving was hard, but it was the right time,” she explained. “I had lived with her for so long — her pain, her strength, her fight. It took a lot out of me. But when they called about doing one last episode, something in me said yes before I even thought about it.”
What convinced her, she says, wasn’t about screen time — it was the story. “When the writers told me what they had planned, I got chills,” she shared. “It felt like the right way to say goodbye — not just for her, but for me. It gave me the chance to let her go with love.”
Insiders say her episode will serve as both a farewell and a tribute, tying up emotional loose ends left behind after Upton’s exit. “This isn’t just a cameo,” one source revealed. “It’s a moment of truth — a full-circle ending that will leave people in tears.”
Filming her final scenes was emotional, not just for Tracy but for the entire cast and crew. “There were a lot of hugs that day,” she admitted. “Jason [Beghe] was incredible — he made me laugh right before a really heavy scene, and then he just said, ‘Let’s make this one count.’ And we did.”
Jason Beghe, who plays Hank Voight, later confirmed that having Spiridakos back felt “like the family was complete again.” He added, “Hailey’s energy, Tracy’s heart — it changes the room. Everyone felt it.”
Fans have long speculated that Upton’s story wasn’t truly over, and Spiridakos’s return all but confirms that the writers had unfinished business. But whether this is truly the end for her character, she’s keeping quiet. “Never say never,” she teased with a smile. “I’ll always carry a piece of her with me, and maybe someday… who knows?”
Behind the scenes, crew members described her last day on set as “bittersweet but beautiful.” After filming her final take, Tracy reportedly hugged nearly every member of the team and gave a brief, tearful speech. “She thanked everyone for giving her a home,” said one witness. “You could feel how much it meant to her.”
For Spiridakos, returning wasn’t about career strategy or nostalgia — it was about respect. “Hailey went through hell,” she said. “She fought through trauma, betrayal, loss — but she never stopped believing in justice. I wanted to make sure she left on her own terms, with her head high. That was important to me.”
The upcoming episode promises to deliver emotional closure, but fans are already bracing themselves. “I’m going to sob,” one wrote. “She deserves peace, but I’m not ready to let her go again.” Others are hoping her reappearance might open the door to a future crossover or special — perhaps even a reunion with Jesse Lee Soffer’s Jay Halstead. “It would be the perfect ending,” one fan commented. “Hailey and Jay together again — one last time.”
Whatever happens, Tracy Spiridakos’s decision to return proves once again why she’s one of Chicago P.D.’s most beloved stars. Her vulnerability, strength, and dedication have left a lasting mark not just on the show — but on the hearts of millions.
And as she put it best: “It wasn’t about the fame, or the finale. It was about giving her the ending she deserved. She saved people for a living — and in some ways, she saved me too.”
