Why is Jesse Lee Soffer leaving Chicago PD, Jay Halstead?

Why is Jesse Lee Soffer leaving Chicago PD, and his character of Jay Halstead, in the early going of season 10? We know that for weeks now, this has been a huge question all across the internet. Are we getting closer now to an answer?

The first thing to note, for those unaware, is that Soffer’s exit has been out there for a little while — and was also met with a lot of frustration from viewers. While the Dick Wolf universe is known for its success, it is also marked by a number of actor exits over time. Christopher Meloni famously left Law & Order: SVU for years, whereas Chicago Fire has seen multiple exits and over the past year, FBI: Most Wanted lost its leading man. We also know that Kelli Giddish is departing SVU at some point in season 24, so that is something else to prepare yourselves for at the moment.

Now, let’s get more into why this is happening, given that (as you would expect) it is complicated. The chief reason for Soffer’s exit seems to be financial more so than creative, as the actor has yet to come out and say that this was his decision to leave. The producers have also never suggested they ran out of stories to tell for him. This stuff does happen with long-running shows sometimes, especially when linear ratings are declining and networks are desperate to cut down on costs — unless we get another explanation, we have to assume it’s money. Still, that doesn’t make things easy from a viewer point of view.

We’ll have more on Jesse’s exit if more comes out over the next day or two but for now, our biggest concern is just that without Jay Halstead, the show is going to be losing much of its moral compass. Who will try to keep Hank Voight in line now, and how is Hailey Upton going to recover from saying goodbye to her husband? At least he’s not gone forever, as his military gig is supposedly only the next eight months. We’ll see if he turns up again…

For now, we’re just happy Halstead is still alive, but the questions surrounding this exit remain confusing.

Related – Get some more news on Chicago PD as we get set for what lies ahead

Are you still heartbroken that Jesse Lee Soffer is leaving Chicago PD and the Jay Halstead role?

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