Tracy Spiridakos, who portrays Detective Hailey Upton on NBC’s Chicago P.D., has finally addressed her departure from the popular series. As the Season 11 finale approaches, Spiridakos has opened up about her decision to leave the show after being a vital part of the cast since the end of Season 4.
Spiridakos’ character, Detective Hailey Upton, quickly became an integral member of the Intelligence team, especially following the exit of Sophia Bush (Detective Erin Lindsay). Upton’s relationship with Detective Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) also garnered a significant fan following, with many viewers using the hashtag #UpsteadForever on social media to express their support.
Spiridakos Explains Her Departure
In an interview with Variety, Spiridakos revealed that she had decided to leave the show at the end of her sixth season. She communicated her intentions to showrunner Gwen Sigan and the team at Wolf Entertainment, expressing her desire to give the character one final season before moving on.
“I decided at the end of my sixth season, which is when I had reached out to Gwen [Sigan] and to everyone at Wolf [Entertainment] to let them know that I just wanted to do one more year. I wanted us to send out the character with one last season,” Spiridakos said. She clarified that her first full season was Season 5, as she joined the show at the end of Season 4.
Spiridakos described the decision as “very, very hard,” citing her deep affection for the cast, crew, producers, and writers. “It’s such an incredible team. I was just curious what was out there for me and wanted to switch it up, and that was it,” she added.
Final Episode Details
The final episode featuring Spiridakos as Detective Hailey Upton airs on Wednesday, May 22, at 10/9c on NBC. After its television debut, the episode will be available for streaming on Peacock. Spiridakos offered a glimpse of what fans can expect from her farewell episode, hinting at intense and vulnerable moments throughout.
“I don’t think anyone sits down the whole episode… There’s a lot of really vulnerable moments. We see these characters, who we haven’t necessarily seen be so vulnerable, you see a lot of that come through as well,” she teased, adding to the anticipation of her final appearance on Chicago P.D. Watch the teaser below:
As fans prepare to say goodbye to Detective Upton, Spiridakos’ departure marks the end of a significant chapter for Chicago P.D., while she looks forward to new opportunities and challenges in her career.
Thank you for all the seasons of enjoyment, Tracy.
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(Photo Credit: CHICAGO P.D. — “More” Episode 11013 — Pictured: Tracy Spiridakos as Hailey Upton — Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)
