Did Halstead and Upton break up on Chicago PD?

There were two big questions heading into the new episode of Chicago PD. One was whether Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) would actually leave after weeks of build up, and the other was how his exit would affect his marriage to Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos).

Would they divorce? Take a break? Would Upton be a widow by the time we found out? Well, we got the answers to all of these questions and more in “A Nice Guy.” As one would expect, there are massive SPOILERS AHEAD.

Why did Jay leave Chicago PD?

So let’s get the easy one out of the way: Halstead doesn’t die, and Upton doesn’t become a widow. Both characters are very much alive, albeit at different points in their lives. Halstead gets involved in a tricky manslaughter situation, and rather than sweep the incident under rug, he decides to quit the force and leave the city.

The episode ends with Halstead and Upton sitting down to discuss their future together, and the former reveals that he will be gone for close to a year. He tells Upton that he will be helping a team infiltrate drug cartels in Bolivia, and assures her that he will only be down there for eight months. It gets worse when he tells her that he flies out for Bolivia that same night, leaving her no time to process the news.

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“I swear to you, that we’re going to get through this because you’re the love of my life”, Halstead tells his wife. She lets him know the feeling is mutual, and they shed tears before saying goodbye. The couple decide not to separate or get divorced, but instead put their relationship on ice so that Halstead can regain his sense of purpose, of right and wrong, elsewhere in the world.

While things could’ve gone much worse for Halstead and Upton, it is sad to watch them part ways. They barely got to spend time together as husband and wife, and Upton will undoubtedly have a tough time adjusting to life without Halstead.

The silver lining is that the show has kept the door wide open for Halstead to come back.

For the latest Chicago PD season 9 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago PD category at One Chicago Center.