Why Tracy Spiridakos' Hailey Upton Left Chicago P.D.

After years of fighting crime and carrying emotional weight in the Intelligence Unit, Hailey Upton has walked away from Chicago P.D.—and fans everywhere are still processing the heartbreak.

Played by Tracy Spiridakos since Season 4, Upton quickly became a fan-favorite: tough, brilliant, and deeply complex. But after Season 12, the actress decided it was time to close this chapter. The decision wasn’t made lightly—and it came straight from Tracy herself.

In a candid interview, Spiridakos opened up about her exit, saying:

“I love Hailey, but I knew it was time. I’ve given everything to her. Now I want to challenge myself in new ways—creatively and personally.”

Behind the scenes, writers crafted a goodbye storyline filled with raw emotion and unspoken longing, especially around her unresolved connection to Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer), who had left the show earlier. The final episodes saw Upton grappling with loss, burnout, and the realization that she needed to rediscover who she was outside of the badge.

While fans hoped for a reunion between Halstead and Upton, Tracy’s graceful sendoff gave closure in a different way—quiet, reflective, and deeply human.

As one viewer put it: “She didn’t go out in flames. She went out with soul.”

Though her time in Chicago is over, fans know this isn’t the last we’ll hear from Tracy Spiridakos—and maybe not even the last we’ll see of Hailey Upton.