Why Did Sophia Bush, Jesse Lee Soffer Break Up? Chicago PD Split
Erin Lindsay and Jay Halstead’s relationship on Chicago P.D. was one of our favorites on the NBC crime drama. But the actors actually dated in real life for a short period, too. Why did Sophia Bush and Jesse Lee Soffer break up? Keep reading to find out.
Chicago P.D. is the first spinoff of Chicago Fire in the One Chicago universe (following Chicago Med and the now-canceled Chicago Justice). The series focuses on the personal and professional lives of patrol officers and Intelligence Unit detectives at the Intelligence Unit of Chicago Police Department’s fictional 21st District. Chicago P.D. is currently in its 10th season and was recently renewed for Season 11, our sister site Variety reported in April 2023.
Sophia Bush starred as Detective Erin Lindsay, a member of the CPD Intelligence Unit. Her character partnered with Detective Jay Halstead, played by Soffer, and was close with Sergeant Henry “Hank” Voight (Jason Beghe), her foster father who took her in as a teenager when she was addicted to drugs. Bush was in the main cast from the first season until her exit in Season 4. Sophia Bush left Chicago P.D. on her own but later said that she had experienced abuse in the workplace. “I quit because, what I’ve learned is I’ve been so programmed to be a good girl and to be a work horse and be a tug boat that I have always prioritized tugging the ship for the crew, for the show, for the group, ahead of my own health,” she said on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast in December 2018. “The reality was that my body was, like, falling apart, because I was really, really unhappy.”
Meanwhile, Soffer portrayed Senior Detective Jay Halstead, a former Army Ranger who works as a detective in the Intelligence Unit. He’s also the older brother of Dr. Will Halstead, an attending physician at the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, on Chicago Med. After 10 seasons on the series, Jee Lee Soffler left Chicago P.D. in 2022. The actor told Variety in 2023 that he exited the show because he wanted to do “more” as an actor. “I’ve thought so hard about how to answer this question — and there’s no good answer. Except I was ready for more,” Soffer replied when he was asked why he left Chicago P.D. “Eventually, you know the character so well, there’s not much that can shift or transform.”
We’re breaking down Lindsay and Halstead’s on-screen relationship on Chicago P.D., as well as what transpired behind the scenes between Sophia Bush and Jesse Lee Soffer.
What happened to Erin Lindsay and Jay Halstead on Chicago P.D.?
What happened to Erin Lindsay and Jay Halstead on Chicago P.D.? Lindsay and Halstead (also known by their couple name “Linstead”), were partners in the 21st District of the Intelligence Unit of the Chicago Police Department. They became partners a month before the show aired and had a flirtatious relationship throughout the first season. The pair never acted on their feelings because Voight had a strict no romance policy within the unit. But, when Lindsay left the team to accept a job at the Chicago Federal Task Force, Lindsay and Halstead start seeing each other romantically. Although Lindsay ultimately returns to Voight’s detective squad a few episodes later, they continue to see each other without Voight knowing. Voight eventually finds out about their secret relationship and the two decide to take a break.
In Season 2, Erin’s close friend and mentee Nadia Decotis (Stella Maeve) dies, which the detective takes extremely hard. Nadia, who was an underage prostitute and drug addict, finally turned her life around with Lindsay’s help. She even got a job as an administrative assistant with the Intelligence Unit by answering calls and running errands. Nadia was abducted, raped, tortured and murdered by serial Killer Gregory Yates, who Lindsay eventually avenges for Nadia’s death. After Nadia’s passing, Lindsay turns back to drugs and alcohol and she quits her job in Chicago Police. She returns in Season 3 when Jay gets kidnapped. They eventually start dating again and Voight eventually admits that the two could be good together.
However, their relationship starts going downhill in Season 4 when Halstead’s ex-wife came back to Chicago and Lindsay was shocked to learn that Halstead never told her about his previous marriage. They decide to take a break and have some space, but the pair ultimately breaks up. At the end of Season 4, Jay decides that he wants to propose to Lindsay, but it’s too late; she is leaving to move to New York to join the FBI.
Why did Sophia Bush and Jesse Lee Soffer break up?
Why did Sophia Bush and Jesse Lee Soffer break up? The couple split in June 2015 after almost a year of dating, according to Us Weekly. They first met on the set of Chicago P.D. and started dating shortly after the first season came out in 2014. “They’ve [Sophia and Jesse] been secretly dating for over three months, but only their close friends knew,” a source told E! News at the time. “Jesse is super-sweet and they are really cute together.” The pair split in June 2015 and apparently “grew apart” during the filming of Season 4, One Chicago Center reported. They were spotted holding hands together a few months later that September, according to Us Weekly. Bush and Soffer haven’t been spotted together in public since.
Neither Bush nor Soffer has made any public comments regarding their breakup. However, when Bush left Chicago P.D., Soffer told TV Line that he was sad to see Bush leave. “You know, it’s always sad when a cast member leaves a show. We’re a huge family, and she’s a huge part of making the show what it was,” he explained. “We all created something together, and so that’s always difficult. But the show must go on. That’s how it works.”
As of 2023, Sophia Bush is married to Grant Hughesin, an entrepreneur who co-founded Focus Motion, a machine-learning software company. The couple tied the knot in June 2022 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the City County Clerk’s Office. The actress shared photos from her engagement in Lake Como, Italy, on Instagram. “So it turns out that being your favorite person’s favorite person is the actual best feeling on planet Earth #YES,” she wrote in the caption.
Meanwhile, Soffer seems to be single at the moment. He was in a brief relationship with another Chicago star, Chicago Med’s Torrey DeVitto, which lasted from September 2018 to May 2019. DeVitto previously acted with Bush on the popular teen drama, One Tree Hill.
Chicago P.D. airs on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC.
For more on the One Chicago franchise, check out our photo gallery of Chicago Fire stars and their real-life loves.
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