Is Hailey Upton Leaving ‘Chicago P.D.’?

Hailey Upton is one of the most beloved characters in the show Chicago P.D., which is why there’s so much talk about her exit from the show.

According to We Got This Covered, Tracy Spiridakos, the actress who plays Hailey Upton, is in fact leaving Chicago P.D. This will come as a sad revelation to the many fans of her character and for good reason. Detective Upton has been a mainstay of the series since as far back as season 4.

As reported by Variety, Spiridakos’s main reason for leaving the show comes down to wanting to explore new horizons. “It was a hard decision — very, very hard,” she told Variety. “I love everybody on the show — cast, crew, producers, writers, everybody. 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 had done a total of six seasons on the show.

Chicago P.D. was created by Dick Wolf and Matt Olmstead on January 8, 2014. Like many copaganda shows before it, Chicago P.D. centers around the lives of the fictional Chicago police department 21st district. You won’t find much of any good criticism of police brutality here, as the show pretty much valorizes the people who serve the blue line.

Obviously, as a person of color, I’m not going to get much out of hardcore police procedurals to begin with. As noted by CBR, the show is riddled with all kinds of problems too, such as misogyny, a lack of diversity, and harassment of actors that took place behind the set. Sophia Bush (Erin Lindsay) even outright left the show over harassment. Maybe give this show a miss.