When it comes to the One Chicago franchise, there are many iconic couples on-screen who fans have fallen in love with over the years. Stellaride, Brettsey, Burek, the list goes on. However, there is one couple from the show’s universe who found love off-screen as well: Jesse Lee Soffer and Tracy Spiridakos.
Spiridakos and Soffer’s Chicago PD characters Hailey Upton and Jay Halstead became one of the most beloved couples in the One Chicago Universe, with Upstead shippers growing into one of the most passionate and vocal groups in the fandom. Fans loved getting to watch the duo fall for one another over the years, and the chemistry between Soffer and Spiridakos was crucial to bringing that couple to life.
Somewhere along the way, the couple’s on-screen chemistry gave way to feelings off-screen, with the pair becoming romantically involved. While they kept their relationship private for years, they recently made the relationship public, and fans have loved following them on their journey.
Chicago PD fans are always first to jump into the comments sections of their posts and love to support the couple. Naturally, their fans are eager for any updates on their personal lives, which makes them quick to react when news surfaces online.
This was indeed the case this week when social media exploded this week when a rumor claimed Soffer and Spiridakos had welcomed a baby; however, the sad reality is there is no truth to the viral rumor.
No, Jesse Lee Soffer and Tracy Spiridakos did not have a baby
While Jesse Lee Soffer and Tracy Spiridakos are indeed dating, the couple has not welcomed a child together, and those viral posts on social media suggesting they have are fake. That’s right, this is yet another instance of “fan” pages spreading misinformation on platforms such as Facebook by leveraging AI to create fake images to accompany fake reports.
It's unclear where the rumor originated, but it quickly spread like wildfire across social media that Soffer and Spiridakos had welcomed their first child together. Pages such as One Chicago Insider shared tabloid-style updates announcing that the couple had welcomed a baby, which were accompanied by links to fake news reports containing images such as the one below, which had been AI-generated to make it look as though the pair had indeed welcomed a child.
Sadly, these false reports once again spread like wildfire on social media, with many Chicago PD fans falling prey to the misinformation.
Thousands of fans celebrated the news via likes, reposts, shares, and comments, which isn’t at all surprising, as the Chicago PD fandom is among the most supportive around. It’s not surprising at all that fans would be thrilled by the idea of Spiridakos and Soffer welcoming a child together, and it’s to be expected that fans would share warm messages of congratulations.
It's a shame that social media accounts continue to take advantage of fans' love for the One Chicago franchise by spreading misinformation such as this online. And it's an important reminder to always be vigilant on social media and not to trust everything you see.
While the pair might not have welcomed a child, they have opened their home to a new fur baby, so I guess in a way there is a sliver of truth to the rumor as the pair are parents to an adorable new pup!