After nearly a decade as Detective Jay Halstead, Jesse Lee Soffer shocked fans by walking away from Chicago P.D. in Season 10. But what really happened?
According to insiders, Soffer felt Halstead’s story had reached a creative standstill. He didn’t want to be the guy who just showed up, read lines, and cashed checks. “I want to grow,” he reportedly told the writers. “Or I need to go.”
His final episode was emotional—not just for fans, but for the cast. On his last day, he received a surprise: the entire crew lined the hallway and applauded as he left the set for the last time.
Tracy Spiridakos (Hailey Upton), who played his on-screen wife, admitted she cried for hours. “We built a bond. And losing that—on screen and off—was heartbreaking.”
Halstead’s exit left a hole in the unit, both in story and in soul. And while new characters stepped up, no one could quite fill his shoes. Not yet
