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Chicago PD star Jesse Lee Soffer share final behind-the-scenes pictures ahead of departure

Rebecca Lewis - Los Angeles
Los Angeles correspondentLos Angeles
September 8, 2022

Chicago PD star Jesse Lee Soffer has broken his silence following the news that the upcoming season of the hit NBC show will be his last.

MORE: Chicago PD star Marina Squerciati shares first day back on set picture

The actor, who stars as Detective Jay Halstead, took to Instagram to post a behind-the-scenes picture of co-star Tracy Spiradakos and Jason Beghe.

WATCH: Chicago PD's Jay Halstead and Hailey Upton finally get together

He simply captioned the post with two heart emojis, and the picture saw them sitting on a picnic bench outside a warehouse as the crew of the show worked around them. But fans were left emotional at the snap, with many revealing that they were "crying" and others writing: "We’re gonna miss Jay."

Jesse, who has been portraying Detective Halstead since the NBC series exploded onto screens back in 2014, announced in late August that he will be departing early on in the upcoming tenth season.

In a statement shared with Variety, the 38-year-old actor said: "I want to thank the incredible fans for their unwavering support during the past 10 years and want to express my deepest gratitude to Dick Wolf and everyone at Wolf Entertainment, Peter Jankowski, Matt Olmstead, Derek Haas, Michael Brandt, Rick Eid, Gwen Sigan, NBC, Universal Television, my fellow castmates and our incredible crew."

He continued: "To create this hour-long drama week after week has been a labor of love by everyone who touches the show. I will always be proud of my time as Det. Jay Halstead."

Jesse shared this picture

Taking to Twitter after the news was made public, he then shared a few more words with his fans.

"This is sad but true. Just want all the fans to know how grateful I am," he wrote. "You guys are why we do it! It has been an honor. Love you all."

Tracy, who plays Hailey Upton in the NBC police procedural, took to Instagram with a moving tribute to her on-screen husband after the news was announced.

Viewers have followed Jay and Hailey's romance over the last ten seasons

Alongside a selfie of the two of them enjoying some downtime between scenes, she wrote: "Jesse, what can I say, you're the absolute best. Thank you for your kindness, your guidance and your friendship."

"You're the greatest on-screen 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," she continued before ending her post: "#upsteadforever."

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