After bringing Upstead’s romance to life on Chicago P.D., Tracy Spiridakos and Jesse Lee Soffer formed a connection off screen.
Soffer was previously linked to Sophia Bush and Torrey DeVitto before sparking romance rumors with Spiridakos. Soffer and Spiridakos met on the set of the Dick Wolf police drama while playing Hailey Upton and Jay Halstead, respectively. Their fictional characters had a slow-burn romance that led to them tying the knot on screen.
The actor, however, shocked fans in 2022 when he announced his exit from the show.
“I guess the word is out. Jesse, what can I say, you’re the absolute best. Thank you for your kindness, your guidance and your friendship,” Spiridakos wrote via Instagram at the time. “You’re the greatest onscreen husband a girl could ask for. I’ll miss being on set with you every day. I can’t wait to see what the world has in store for you next. #upsteadforever.”
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News subsequently broke in October 2023 that Spiridakos was leaving Chicago P.D. after season 11.
“I decided at the end of my sixth season (a.k.a. season 10 of the series),” she told Variety in May. “Which is when I had reached out to [showrunner] Gwen [Sigan] and to everyone at Wolf to let them know that I just wanted to do one more year.”
Spiridakos called the decision “very, very hard,” adding, “I was just curious what was out there for me and wanted to switch it up, and that was it.”
On screen, Upton and Halstead went through a divorce to adjust to Spiridakos and Soffer’s individual exits. While the costars no longer share the screen, Spiridakos and Soffer have continued to spend time together.
Rumors surfaced in January 2024 that Soffer and Spiridakos have been secretly dating for years. Neither actor has addressed the romance speculation publicly but has remained together out of the public eye.
Keep scrolling to relive their romance:
2017
Tracy Spiridakos joined Chicago P.D. in the second half of season 4 after Jesse Lee Soffer was with the NBC series since the pilot. Their characters were paired off — and a romance ensued. Upton and Halstead ultimately got engaged and married during their Chicago P.D. journey.
2018
Jesse Lee Soffer and Tracy Spiridakos arrived on the red carpet for the 4th Annual OneChicago Press Day in Chicago.
2019
Tracy Spiridakos and Jesse Lee Soffer attended the press day for One Chicago again one year later.
2021
Jesse Lee Soffer spoke exclusively to Us Weekly about filming a sex scene with Tracy Spiridakos, saying, “I don’t have time for TV, so if you tell me it was intense, then OK. It was intense.”
Soffer added: “We’ve been playing partners and love interests for so long, that it’s second nature. Also, I was on a soap for a while and she’s worked a ton! It’s like, ‘All right, sex scene? Got it.’ It’s been easy. She’s a great scene partner to have.”
2022
Jesse Lee Soffer announced his exit from the show first — with Spiridakos following one year later. While Soffer returned to direct episodes, Upton and Halstead’s fictional connection took a hit and they divorced before Upton’s exit.
2023
Tracy Spiridakos gushed when Jesse Lee Soffer came back to direct the show before her departure, writing via Instagram, “Tonight’s episode was directed by the one and only, our very own @jesseleesoffer 🥳🥳🥳!! And you guys, it’s a realllllllly good one. You don’t want to miss it.”
Soffer, meanwhile, took to social media to celebrate Spiridakos’s legacy. “I got to watch Tracy’s last episode of Chicago PD (airing tonight) and she’s FANTASTIC in it! 🙂 you should all go check it out!” he wrote via Instagram at the time.
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August 2024
The pair went on a European vacation together to Portugal, which they shared photos of on social media.
“Europe is kinda cool 😘😘,” Jesse Lee Soffer wrote via Instagram alongside snaps that included Tracy Spiridakos
February 2026
NBC announced that Tracy Spiridakos and Jesse Lee Soffer were reuniting in the three-part One Chicago crossover special. According to the synopsis for the March 2026 episode, Upton “returns to her former stomping grounds, but this time on the federal level as a Special Agent of the FBI.” She “joins her former P.D. allies after a drug enforcement task force case out of her Detroit field office leads her back to Chicago.”
Halstead, for his part, “took a job with the Army in Bolivia, tracking drug cartel targets.” Most recently, “he’s been deep undercover that leads him on a path to the same case that Upton is investigating.”
