Revolving door! The One Chicago franchise is known for its frequent exits at this point, but Sophia Bush, Monica Raymund, Colin Donnell and more stars have not slowed down since walking away from Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire and Chicago Med.
The One Tree Hill alum, for one, spoke out about her departure from Chicago P.D. after season 4. “I realized that as I was thinking I was being the tough guy, doing the thing, showing up to work, I programmed myself to tolerate the intolerable,” Bush said during a December 2018 episode of the “Armchair Expert” podcast.
She continued: “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. … My body was, like, falling apart because I was really, really unhappy.”
The actress characterized her experience on the set as “a consistent onslaught barrage of abusive behavior,” adding: “You start to lose your way when someone assaults you in a room full of people and everyone literally looks away, looks at the floor, looks at the ceiling, and you’re the one woman in the room and every man who’s twice your size doesn’t do something.
”Raymund, on the other hand, remains entangled in the One Chicago world, despite leaving after season 6 of Chicago Fire. “I don’t know what it is, but the Wolf Pack and I, we are intertwined for the rest of my life,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2020. “The producers over at Wolf [Entertainment] are the ones who have given me the opportunity to direct and I mean, I have to give props to that because there couldn’t be anything more feminist than giving me the opportunity to stretch as a female director. I have a lot of respect for the producers — who are mostly men over there — believing and creating space for more parity.”
Scroll down to find out what One Chicago stars who left the series have been doing since their characters said goodbye:
One Chicago Stars Who Left The Franchise
Nick Gehlfuss (Dr. Will Halstead, ‘Chicago Med’)
Chicago Med said goodbye to Gehlfuss’ Dr. Will Halstead during the season 8 finale in May 2023. The actor kept his departure under wraps until the episode aired. “It was a difficult decision, but ultimately, I felt I’d taken Dr. Halstead as far as I can go with him. I think that comes down to a creative part of you, or the energy or spirit you have that you’re either built for a very long time with one person or not,” he told Variety at the time.
Gehlfuss then teased his future as an actor, telling the outlet that he’d “love to be a cowboy” and would be happy to “get outdoors” in his next project.
Jesse Lee Soffer Confirms Chicago PD Season 10 Exit
Jesse Lee Soffer (Det. Jay Halstead, 'Chicago P.D.')
The Emmy-nominated actor, who had a main role on Chicago P.D., announced in August 2022 that he wouldn't return after season 10. "To create this hour 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," he told Variety in a statement.
Soffer was back on the Chicago P.D. set the following year when he made his directorial debut with season 10’s “Deadlocked,” which aired in March 2023
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