Spoilers ahead for Season 10, Episode 3 of Chicago P.D., “A Good Man.”
The day that One Chicago fans have been dreading for what seems like forever has come and gone, leaving Chicago P.D. one man short. After portraying Detective Jay Halstead on the procedural since the early days of Chicago Fire in a recurring role and since the beginning of Chicago P.D., Jesse Lee Soffer has officially left the NBC series. Now the actor is sharing all the love his fans shared with him.
The start of Chicago P.D.’s tenth season saw some change with Jay Halstead, as he wasn’t around as much, and he wasn’t communicating as well with his wife and partner, Detective Hailey Upton. This made things messy with the duo and Intelligence. It also played a part in building up to Halstead’s exit. Not wanting to turn into his off-the-books boss, Sergeant Hank Voight, Jay opted to come clean about what had happened during a case, and he left to help out with the Army. He didn't exactly re-enlist, but it required him to move to Bolivia, of all places, to run a unit.
The emotional goodbye between longtime fan-favorite couple Upstead definitely left some wounds and heartbreak, and it didn’t stop there. Following the episode, Jesse Lee Soffer took to Twitter to thank the fans that have loved Halstead and have gone on this journey with him since 2013:
For anyone that’s ever been a Halstead fan, I just want you to know that I’m grateful. Thank you for going on this journey with me. I’m just grateful. ❤️October 6, 2022
The love didn’t stop there. Since Jesse Lee Soffer’s exit was announced in August, fans have been adamant about showing their love to the actor and even trying to get him to stay. Soffer has frequently liked fan tweets and made sure to tell them that while he can’t like every single tweet, he does see the love they all have:
If I could like every single tweet I would. I appreciate all the love. It means so much to me. Thank you ❤️October 6, 2022
Having only been an avid Chicago watcher since this year, it’s definitely a disappointment that Jay Halstead is no longer on the Intelligence team. However, seeing the love that Soffer has for the show and fans makes it clear that this is one chapter that will never fully be closed for him. And they aren’t the only ones that will miss Jay and Soffer.
Jesse Lee Soffer’s Chicago P.D. co-star Marina Squerciati opened up about how she handled his exit on Twitter, and like many, she shed more than a tear:
Jesse, I love you, dude. I cried a lot IRL so you know it's not fake social media stuff. SO MANY TEARS. #crybabyandproudofit #ChicagoPDOctober 6, 2022
Meanwhile, Wolf Entertainment, who is behind One Chicago, gave a simple yet sweet message to thank Soffer for his decade-long performance as Jay Halstead:
A talent like no other. @jesseleesoffer thank you for 10 years. pic.twitter.com/QiS7TzJDNvOctober 6, 2022
The series definitely will not be the same without Jay Halstead. But, since he did tell Hailey he was only going to be gone for eight months, maybe a little more, it’s still possible we will see him again, but only time will tell. It will be interesting to see the aftermath of his departure, though, and how it affects not only Hailey but his brother Will on Chicago Med since the brothers only had each other for family.
Fingers crossed, this won’t be the end of Jay Halstead, but considering we got an open-ended exit and not one that was more fatal even following the fallout of the Season 9 finale, things are already looking up. New episodes of Chicago P.D. air on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, part of the 2022 TV schedule!
