Chicago P.D. Says Farewell to Halstead: Here’s How Jesse Lee Soffer Was Written Out of the NBC Drama
That’s it for Jesse Lee Soffer on Chicago P.D.
Wednesday’s episode of the NBC drama marked the actor’s final outing as Det. Jay Halstead in an emotionally-charged hour that saw him leave Intelligence.
In the episode, Halstead got into a scuffle with a suspect and stabbed the man to death. He refused to go with Voight and Upton’s cover story and turned himself in to Chief Patrick O’Neal instead. He then turned in his badge and took another job in the army leading a squad that tracks down the worst drug cartel targets. He was set to take up post in Bolivia.
The army is “black and white; good and bad. It’s no more of this,” he told Upton. They had little time to say goodbye because he was supposed to fly out that day. Halstead assured Upton that they’d get through it because it would only be for eight months, maybe a little longer.
“You’re the love of my life,” he added, “and if I’m yours, then you’ll know that you have to let me go.”
At the airport, Voight also bid his farewell. That’s when Halstead told the sergeant, “I do want to be you. But it’s like you’ve always told me: I’m not, and I shouldn’t try.” And with that, he got on the plane.
Soffer announced his departure from the Dick Wolf procedural in August: “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,” he said in a statement at the time. “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.” (To see what he had to say following Wednesday’s episode, click here.)
Halstead’s exit also puts a damper on #Upstead, the romantic pairing between him and fellow detective Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos). The duo officially got together in Season 8 and secretly wed at the courthouse in Season 9. For Upton, Halstead’s absence is “definitely going to be a big impact for her character this season when she is without him,” showrunner Gwen Sigan previously told TVLine.
The EP noted that they had “such an interesting relationship, and it’s been that way since the beginning… They have this thing together. It’s like they know what each other’s thinking. They have always supported each other. They’ve gotten in so many situations that have been so traumatic, and yet they’ve had each other’s backs. Even their marriage is built on this need to get through something, to be able to be each other’s anchor and to keep each other steady.”
How are you feeling about Halstead’s departure from Chicago P.D.? What are some of your favorite moments with him? Drop a comment below.
Eight months from now is end of May (okay, yes, early June, I know), so he could conceivably return for the season finale.
Great episode and great send off for the character.
The send-off was ridiculous. So he just waltzes off with no advance notice to his wife, his boss and the rest of the team? This is just lazy, sloppy writing.
Agree ! SOOOO Upset that Jesse S left Chicago PD !!! His character was one of my favs on the show. Come back Jesse
Agreed!
Exactly! It was sloppy & rushed.
Jay didn’t even say goodbye to his brother (Will, on Chicago Med)! The writers could have left us with a memorable, emotional exit that would have given viewers some closure, but no…
I agree totally rushed!!
He did tell Hailey goodbye that she was the love of his life!! Hank was at the airport and wanted him to stay so yes he said goodbye.
I agree with you. It was not done well. We are all going to miss Detective Jay Halstead.
Cheyenne I totally agree it was an awful episode. No rhyme or reason or buildup to such an extreme decision over at least several episodes. Some of the worst storylines ever.
What then even if he returns for final episode,I mean if would make sense if this is final season of PD but if it isn’t why would he be back if he doesn’t staying, just to say bye I will stay in Bolivia indefinitely and I want divorce
After mulling this over and thinking why so abrupt it seems one option for season finale he may not have been let go. Got to be a new show–Chcago narc Cartel Undercover or something like that. It only makes sense that he could be the star and they’ve done it before– trying to chip off a new series. Seems maybe Jay wants to be the real star n the only bad thing is if they try to make this new guy grow in importance to leadership. Ruzek in a way is the staple to the show anyway — besides Voight.
The one good thing about this episode is it showcases the biggest problem with Jay Halstead since the beginning: his hypocrisy. It’s almost a decade late but glad beyond words this happened the way it did I will not miss him. Jay Halstead is a sanctimonious self centred arrogant ungrateful punk he never could accept the gray area of urban policing under Voight and he long overstayed his welcome as a result. Voight may be ‘a crook with a badge’ but he never denied who and what he was. Halstead is a walking a malignant narcissist his only goal end of the day was to be praised to feed his hero complex everyone else be damned. A selfish guy whose ‘ morality’ suddenly became flimsy only when it was his own interests at stake. Goodbye Halstead and good riddance! The one comfort I get from this episode is he is finally gone and Uptight will be a mess for it. Wish he went down in the line of duty and it would have been a good swan song the selfish guy giving his life for others but sadly on this show the good characters either die or disappear without a word like Al and Antonio while the terrible characters like Lindsay, Roman now Halstead are still breathing air with the potential to return. Still you can’t help but laugh at the irony of it all. Last season Halstead was arrogant to believe he could be the one to curb Voight’s dark impulses keep him from going off the rails and in the end he couldn’t even curb his own.
JHC, you seem to have a lot of vitriol for two of the main characters on a show that has been on the air for ten years. If you hate them this much, why are you continuing to watch the show?
SMDH
Easy. I like the other five characters still there six if you count the rare instances Trudy pops up. But I like just about everyone else. Voight its cuz of him there even is a Chicago PD him and Antonio but no one remembers the by the book cop who could actually reign Voight but still trust him to call him friend. Atwater is probably the most moral cop of the unit he knows the world isn’t all black and white and unlike Halstead doesn’t act like some pretentious holier than thou know it all. Burgess the most fleshed out of the show’s characters that is constantly used as the punching bag to prop up the detective/queen bee who has been with intelligence the least. Ruzek depending on the episode he is either a reckless hothead or the guy who will have your back in a scrape. And while he is still new I have liked what I have seen of Torres he reminds me of Olinsky the quite one that has a danger being the surface. And I actually liked Hailey her first two seasons when she actually acted like a reasonable level headed detective not the entitled bratty child that has a tantrum every other episode.
Let me guess: you’re one of those people who thinks police should be able to do whatever they want, no questions asked, and if anyone dare suggest otherwise, they are anti-law-enforcement, right?
God forbid there be a character who suggests that they have a line they should be held to, and even worse if that character fails to always live up to it themself., or good ol’ Dean will get into the comment section and whine and moan about them.
Let me guess you are one of those people that touts Blandstead and Uptight as paragons of virtue while ignoring their own ill deeds.
Since everyone love examples here is your proof.
Even back when he was just a guest on season 2 of Chicago Fire I never liked Halstead. The haughty hotshot who acted like everyone was beneath him even and that all of them even the more experienced cops like Voight, Antonio and Al only existed to him only so they could lick the dirt off his boots.
Voight for all the crap he’s ever done even the days he hassled Casey on Fire never claimed in anyway to be a saint and knows full well who and what he is. Halstead hides behind the belief he’s some paragon of morality when he not only had no morality he was the farthest thing from too arrogant to see his own sins and never smart enough to solve his own issues.
Every time he went off the rails breaking the very rules and protocols he preached which was quite often and when he got into trouble because of his own recklessness someone always had to pull him out of it usually Voight a man he constantly looked for reasons to hate even when Voight cautioned Halstead when he was literally stalking a suspect who had a restraining order against him and physically hit said suspect’s father for defending his son in public that was back in season 1 and even still that had not changed.
He would have went to jail for getting Marcus West killed and when all was said and done and Voight covered for him Halstead still couldn’t even say thank you instead he judged Voight for ‘doing what I think you did’ even when Voight had cleared him from his mess. Last few years he only got worse he still broke protocols when it suited him yet condemned others who did the exact same. Tell tale sign of Narcissism is the need to be in control Voight is a sergeant so he has rank and anything he does always lands on his feet he at least has a reason. So what’s Halstead’s excuse for being a belligerent rule breaker?
Lack of sympathy is another sign of a narcissist when Burgess was kidnapped by Roy Walton he ordered Ruzek ‘don’t do this’ rather than express sympathy for Ruzek’s situation knowing full well if it was Upton that Roy Walton he’d be breaking rules left and right. When he does find out about Roy rather than make a case Burgess should know the guy who nearly killed her is dead or that the team has been spending weeks chasing dead end leads he turns it around disregarding Burgess trauma and only makes it about his fifth ‘true love’ being a wreck for killing Roy but he stayed quite when she killed Darrius Walker. Halstead only cared about being a hero to Hailey not Burgess’s peace of mind or that the unit was wasting resources looking for a dead monster. He need to pin fault on Voight for Hailey’s choice to stay even when she was ordered multiple times to leave.
Another clear example of sympathy being a foreign thing to Halstead is when his dad died Hailey tried to comfort him and be a voice of reason then he throws her daddy issues in her face all becuse he was in a mood if that was the foundation of their ‘love’ no wonder it was poison from the start.
Given his history with Lindsay his army wife from season 4 and that drug dealer he was with in season 5 you can even count his brief hookup with Gabby Dawson its easy see his patterns of finding someone with heavy baggage so he can ‘save’.
As for the protecting Voight thing was only because he wanted to keep Uptight out of jail nothing more since Hailey was willing to turn herself in because her daddy issues make her forget Voight is her Sergeant. Had she not been been involved in the Roy situation Halstead would have served Voight up without thinking twice.
His romanticizing of army people is his second biggest issue look bo futher than the proof in this episode and ep 607 quick to demonize mosque members as criminals but shuts down the possibility the US born army man is a suspect in a crime despite evidence to prove so that whole episode Halstead was racist in all but name and even still he denies it by blaming his war experience as if servicemen are beyond reproach when he’s quick to call Voight dirty.
Narcissists lack accountability and refuse to acknowledge it. He does this again with Marcus West’s wife saying ‘she lost her husband because if us’ Voight and everyone else was telling him to cool down he refused so badly wanting to be the hero of the two kids killed he screwed up and got West killed making his wife a widow that is on Halstead no one else. Voight and even Antonio have acknowledged when their actions were wrong. Halstead its always someone else’s fault never his own
If anyone would have been the morality guy it would have either been Antonio who stuck to his guns or Atwater who has the least dirt on him than anyone else it sure as hell would not be Cersei and Jamie Lannister jrs.
TL;DR
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The only good thing about Halstead being gone is that we don’t have to hear your complaining about him every tome there is an article about the show.
*time
Damn, you’re my friend in my head!
Agree with all of your Halstead observations, just sad that Uptight didn’t go, she is even more annoying.
If anyone was supposed to do the ‘right thing’ it sure as hell wouldn’t be the guy that had Marcus West’s blood on on his hands. Or the girl who has Darrius Walker and Roy Walton’s blood on hers.
Boom!
@Dean, well said!! 👏🏽👏🏽
🔥🔥🔥
No wonder you like Halstead so much his hypocrisy is something you share. You shippers like to start a fight when your overrated paragon of double standards but run the minute you are called out and become junk-less sissies. Halstead was never moral if he got Marcus West killed.
People..this is a fictional character on a fictitious show. Save your energy for something real.
Amen. Dean, nobody should be as involved in characters on a show as you are.
Talk about getting a little too worked up about a show.
I’m giddy as a school girl. Would have been more had Detective Uppity went to Bolivia with her soon to be ex husband.
Pleasant character. You must have a joyful existence in the real world. One thing to be passionate about a show and in your responses to others- sounds like the most meaningful part of the show to you is how much you hate what you hate.
I agree about detective uppity. She should’ve gone instead of Jay. I never liked her anyway.
I hate both of then equally. Wish they both left but hypocrite Halstead’s departure is a win I can fully enjoy.
Are you ok? I’ve never seen anyone worked up over a show before 😂
Go on twitter , lot of crazies getting worked up over Jesse exit
The cesspool of twitter. Are people pro him leaving or are they upset he left? Honestly if a character I like leaves a show and I can’t bear to watch I just stop watching. Its never that deep to go this hard 😬😂
same,I don’t like he left but in same time I wish him all the best if this was what he wanted but I will no longer watch PD or at least I will take a break from PD
EVERY👏🏾 WORD👏🏾 YOU👏🏾 SAID 👏🏾
I didn’t really understand his sudden and complete move over to the dark side with Voight these past two weeks but because of that his departure tonight wasn’t unexpected. Sorry to see him go but the character really didn’t have anywhere left to go at this point. I hope that they elevate Kevin more now and not just for the race related episodes. He’s a good actor that has improved over the seasons and might be the only one in the unit that hasn’t broken the law on the job so he could be the moral character needed to balance Voight out. Please don’t let us have to listen to Haley whining on a weekly basis. That would make me tune out.
Sadly this point the title of Detective is only reserved for the Queen Bee no one else will be promoted so long as Uptight can whine over her lost man. Its been six years and Kim Kevin and Adam are still ‘officers’ something that his highly unrealistic in any police department.
You’re so ridiculously bitter. Get a job. For real.
Already got one I get paid for every comment I rag on Halstead and his flowers in the attic companion very lucrative. Your double standards is just as bad as the character who just left. And me bitter you are literally going to everyone who dares to speak the truth of how awful Halstead is and everything wrong with him. No wonder you love him he’s a hypocrite like you.
Do you remember the episode when Kevin through *the murder weapon* gun in the river?
*threw
Did not like the way he left, but at least they didn’t kill him off. They could have let him leave without being so distant from Upton and the rest of the team.
I don’t care if he leaves in an alien space ship, as long as he’s gone for good.
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They love Halstead cuz he embodies their hypocrisy. Think they’re the only ones who must have a say that its their way or none at all.
Says the bitter little whiner who does nothing but complain on every single article about the show.
I hope he comes back for the season finale if for no other reason than to piss you off. Like inside, go pound sand. You’re going to be even more bitter now without having something to complain about.
Then don’t watch the show. It gets old listening to negative people. Tou must really have a messed up life.
Yeah, whatever. Never cared for that guy–no grit! Bring back Alvin! (Oh yeah, he’s dead). Anyway, show has been on for 10 seasons? The Actors are starting to bail and look for their next project. Plus I really don’t like seeing the ‘couples’ working together in teams–too weird!
I can’t believe he left the show. I wish he didn’t leave. I’m going to miss him though
I will miss him. He was the best. It won’t be the same. Such a good actor and relationship with Haley. Not sure
I will keep watching. I will miss him too much
I am 70 years old and I really love Jessie’s character, I have watched all of the episodes a thousand times and I never tire of them, I am surely going to miss Jay , I pray that he could return after 8 months. I am really hooked on Chicago PD
With him leaving and not being killed off, it gives him a chance to make an appearance once in awhile. Maybe in eight months. I liked him. People do move on, but there are shows where actors are leaving and they are the Dick Wolfe shows.
I’m so verrrrrrry verrrrrrry upset and sad that he was written out.
I truly hope he does come back.
He was my favorite character next to Ruzek and Burgess.
Too many main characters are being written out.
Al, Dawson
Same with the other CHGO programs.
Not happy.
You are so very right. You start watching a program and get caught up in the story line and the characters and then they are gone. It is true about Chicago Fire as well. You tend to lose interest when all of the regular people leave the show.
well, for what’s essentially a financially-motivated departure (a cost-cutting move), at least they didn’t kill him off, i guess.
And you know this how?
the general lack of clarity regarding whether or not he leaves on his own volition and you know, the rush job that’s this exit storyline are telling enough.
Meh. He was boring as heck. Just wish he had taken Hailey with him.
Hailey needs to go ASAP. She’s more boring than he is.
You know who needs to go? The whiners. Be happy. Don’t watch if it makes you so unhappy.
Amen.
He’s gone. I’m happy. She can stay or go. As long as they don’t try to hook her up with the new guy. That would be calamitous.
Figures you’d look for something new to complain about. Why do you even watch the show, cupcake? You clearly don’t like it.
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Do you go onto other articles with your same saltiness and complain there as well?
Hello: There are so few good TV programs that you can almost become really involved in on any more and Chicago PD is one of them. I really like the actors on that show and have almost never missed an episode. Having Halstead leave is very sad. I liked his relationship with Haley and I actually feel sorry for her since he is no longer there. Why would an actor want to stop being an actor. He did such a good job. I really think it is sad that he is gone
Have you ever changed jobs? Wanted to do something different? Maybe after 10 years he was tired of the long relentless hours…
I think sometimes we forget this a job for them.
I hate to see him leave, but everyone needs a change in life. I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors. Thank you Chicago PD, one of our families favorite show
What kind of weird comment thread is this? Jay Halstead was GREAT! He’s one of the reasons I like the show so much. I was crying at his departure. Totally caught off guard. Too many main characters in the Chicago series are gone. Making it a little more challenging to watch. Not sure how excited I can get about seeing PD now that he’s gone … and not coming back!
Other comments are WAY OFF BASE (& need some paragraphs for crying out loud!)
And he’s the reason many hate Chicago PD. Always being sanctimonious entitled hypocrite that preaches ethics that he breaks himself. Many more are happy to see the show without his one note expression that looks like he just ate a lemon.
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Follow your own advice junkless. Can’t even admit to Halstead’s hypocrisy of killing Marcus West. Moral compass my ass.
I appreciate the actor coming back for a few episodes to wrap things up. I appreciate that the character was not killed and can reappear down the line if he chooses. However, the storyline and how he dealt with leaving Hailey kinda sucked. I wish Jesse lots of luck in the future. And some guest storylines on PD.
I said from day one when they were making him and Haley a romantic pairing this was a mistake and every man and his dog had a go at me telling me I didn’t know what I was talking about when I said they should have made her and Voight the pairing as she had far more chemistry with him. Him leaving the show and the lazy way its done has just justified it all. Close to a hundred episodes of build up to be thrown out the window.
He’s gone that’s all that matters and even if he did come back he can never be a cop again. So I’ll take it as a win.
Haley *does* have chemistry with Voight, but it’s Father/Daughter chemistry, IMO.
But then to be honest I never bought into the Jay/Haley relationship the way I felt about Jay/Erin. Jay and Erin had incredible chemistry from the start, even if their actual relationship never reached the Jay/Haley level.
Not happy is all I can say. Big mistake
The writing? TERRIBLE. JLS deserved to stay until the mid-season finale… at least! They completely ruined this show for me. No more PD for me!
are supposed to keep watching for… burgess? ruzek? don’t make me laugh!! halstead and voight were the best part
Good riddance
Sooo LAME!!! After all the years working in the intelligence unit with Voight, with ALL he’s done and ALL he’s seen, and loosing Al and Lindsey and Antonio, and suddenly the Rock of Gibraltar is shell shocked by killing a drug dealer / murderer and falls apart??? And Oh, boohoo “not this again” referencing Voight’s & Upton’s coverup of killing a perp last year, and now they’re covering up this murderer’s death, which was in the line of duty?? Give me a break!!.
And NO reasoning why Halstead didn’t go home to his wife the night before, he hung out with Voight all night, being evasive, and knowing Upton would be upset the next day? I call B/S!!! And SHE quasi warm when she sees him – no anger, no emotion, no third-degree questioning?? And then he leaves the “love of his life” for Bolivia the same day??? NO WAY – just pathetic lazy sloppy writing, and I didn’t even shed a tear. It would have been better if they just killed off his character. And to add insult to injury, they give Atwater – what – TWO whole lines of dialog, then rationed out the dialog so Rusak barely said a word, and the new kid the same. What a major disappointment and a waste all around!! Absolute worst episode ever! I’m SO DONE with CHI-PD.
Thank you! Best comment on here. This episode was so dumb it was laughable. Jay scampers off to Bolivia when he finally realizes policing isn’t all black and white and he can’t handle the shades of gray in between. It took him ten years to realize that? This whole episode was a textbook lesson of how to write a character off a show when you don’t have a clue as to how to go about it so it makes any sense,
These departures intrigue me. I’m still waiting on why or rather what took Julian McMahon off of FBI: MW. I like this actor who portrayed Halstead though I’m not a big fan of the trio of Chicago dramas. Rollins will be my biggest loss when she leaves. I’m sure other actors will grab my attention.
Julian McMahon left FBI MW on his own. His contract was up. He said see ya. He wasn’t fired. Same with Jesse. His choice.
Would’ve been nice to have a recap of Chicago Fire. Death on that show was pretty huge (no spoiler)
Hey, do you have any source, comment where it was confirmed that Jesse chose to leave? I haven’t seen anything beyond speculation about why he left.
Hate that Jay has left. Loved him and his character. Never liked he and Haley as a couple. Thought their relationship was odd so will not miss that. Hopefully he will be back.
What a terrible exit. The whole story was beyond rushed. The character and fans both deserved much better. You have to wonder if there’s a behind-the-scenes reason Jesse Lee Soffer left so quickly.
the reason: cutting costs. simple as that.