It’s no secret that Sophia Bush did not leave Chicago PD and the One Chicago franchise on the best of terms. Bush departed the series after four seasons of playing Detective Erin Lindsay on NBC’s hit police drama, and it’s honestly amazing that she stuck with the show for as long as she did, considering everything she had to endure behind the scenes.
Bush has opened up about her experience on the show before, but her newest comments paint a truly heartbreaking picture of just how rough things were for the beloved actress.
During a recent appearance on Monica Lewinsky's podcast, Reclaiming, Bush opened up about how her bucket list show brought about a traumatic experience where she experienced "every kind of abuse.”
“I was in this great place [after One Tree Hill], and I was ready for what was next. And I did this comedy that I loved … for CBS. Then I went to work on this other show that was on my bucket list, and then I had this whole other trauma. I had a workplace ongoing trauma revolving around an unending situation with someone old enough to be my father. And I was like, what is happening?” Bush began.
Lewinsky proceeded to ask Bush if she was referring to a professional inappropriate or romantic relationship she was referring to, and whether she meant emotional or another form of abuse. This is when Bush opened up about the trauma she endured and the impacts it had on her health:
"Professional. Meant to be professional, but was emotionally abusive. Every kind of abusive, yeah. And, when I look back on it, I had the opportunity after two years, to go. And I did the thing I'd learned to do and said, I will not have my integrity diminished by someone else's behavior. I will be unflappable. I will come to work and do my job, and I couldn't.
And the next two years were like physical hell for me, and to go through, you know, spontaneous illness, wake up covered in hives, to have really crazy weight fluctuation, to start to watch my hair fall out, to struggle with insomnia, to have such crippling anxiety as an extrovert who loves people, to be hit with anxiety in a way that I could barely be out of the house. If people touched me in public, I like, I would jump out of my skin. I couldn't talk to people anymore, I couldn't talk to strangers anymore. I couldn't be looked at anymore.
And especially in a work environment, if people came in, like if I was trying to get out of set and in a car, and I got approached by people on the street, it felt like a physical attack. My body was not my own, and I couldn't regulate anyone. And because I had to go to work ready for war all the time and I had to learn where to stand to not, you know, get elbowed in the ribs, or how to block a scene to not be touched. It was just so exhausting. Yeah, it was bad."
Although Bush did not specifically mention the show by name, she mentioned leaving the show in April 2017, which is when she left Chicago PD. Her comments also line up with previous statements made about her time on the show and the experiences she had working with series lead Jason Beghe. NBC even launched an investigation into Beghe’s on-set behavior that same year Bush left, with Beghe releasing a statement acknowledging his behavior and NBC assigning an anger management coach to assist him in dealing with his anger.
Interestingly, Bush mentioned on the podcast that she received a phone call from “an executive” in October 2017 apologizing for what they had and had not done. Again, Bush did not mention the network or confirm the show, but the timing of the referenced call aligns with the timing of when NBC launched its investigation into Beghe in November of that year.
“I got a call from an executive apologizing for what they had done and not done. And [the executive] said, ‘We’re very aware that we just made it out of that unscathed.’ And I was like, ‘Glad you did. I’m in so much therapy. I even diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. But I’m thrilled you guys didn’t get dragged through the press, that’s great,” Bush said.
It’s truly heartbreaking knowing what Bush went through behind the scenes while working to bring One Chicago fans a character as beloved as Detective Erin Lindsay. It’s an important reminder that you never know what someone might be going through behind closed doors.
Her courage in sharing such personal pain is a powerful reminder of the strength it takes to heal. By speaking her truth, she’s not just reclaiming her story—she’s paving the way for others to do the same.