Does Jay Halstead return to Chicago PD? Speculations explored

Chicago PD fans were left shocked and disappointed when a main character exited the show in season 10. Senior Detective Jay Halstead, played by Jesse Lee Soffer, who was an important part of the story since the NBC show’s inception, decided to leave the police department.

Over the years, Halstead’s personal and professional lives were in the spotlight. As he rose through the ranks to become Sergeant Hank Voight’s right hand, his relationships with Erin Lindsay and Hailey Upton also became central to the narrative.

However, in season 10, actor Jesse Lee Soffer left the show to explore other opportunities. Ever since, fans have been waiting for his comeback as Jay Halstead. But does Jay Halstead return to Chicago PD? Lee Soffer has revealed he is open to reprising his role, but Jay Halstead’s future in the show remains uncertain.

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Does Jay Halstead return to Chicago PD?

As of now, Jay Halstead is not confirmed to be returning to Chicago PD. Since leaving the show, Jesse Lee Soffer has joined another procedural drama, CBS’ FBI: International, as the Supervisory Special Agent Wesley "Wes" Mitchell.

Both Chicago PD and FBI: International are produced by the same company, Wolf Entertainment. In an interview with TVLine, Lee Soffer stated he does not mind returning as Jay Halstead if it does not affect his time on FBI: International:

“I didn’t ask, but I imagine that [FBI: International] doesn’t preclude that. I would hope that it doesn’t, because, obviously, Wolf is such a huge production company with so many shows, and I feel very fortunate to get to play two main characters on two of those shows. So never say never!”

While the actor is ready to play Jay Halstead’s character once again, the series creators have not confirmed his return to the show. However, bringing him back to the police procedural drama might be tricky, as both the Chicago and FBI franchises are set in the same universe and have had crossovers in the past.

Hence, it would likely not be possible for Lee Soffer to play both Jay Halstead and Wes Mitchell at the same time. Meanwhile, the storyline of Chicago PD has also moved on, and bringing back Halstead would only complicate the plot as it would once again delve into his relationship with Hailey Upton after their divorce.

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Why did Jesse Lee Soffer leave Chicago PD?

Jesse Lee Soffer chose to depart from the show after 10 seasons as he wanted to grow as an actor. In an interview with Variety, the actor said it was a tough decision, but he had to take a risk at that age.

“I really wanted to grow and expand, and we’ve only got this one trip. If I signed up again, it would have been for another three years. I would have turned 40 on the show. I thought, ‘You know what? It’s time to take a risk.”

Despite leaving the show, he did not end things with Wolf Entertainment on a bad note; instead, he returned to direct two episodes of the series. Jay Halstead was written off the show in season 10, episode 3, by depicting he was feeling guilty after taking the law into his own hands and killing a perpetrator.

Hank Voight and Hailey Upton then covered for his crime, but Halstead’s conscience did not let him continue with his job. He ultimately quit the intelligence unit and rejoined the Army to take down drug cartels operating in Bolivia. This also created differences between him and his wife, Upton, leading to their divorce.

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Chicago PD is currently in its 12th season and airs new episodes on NBC on Wednesdays.