Is Hailey Upton Joining FBI After Leaving Chicago PD?

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It’s been less than a day since Tracy Spiridakos retired as Detective Hailey Upton as Chicago P.D., but fans are already convinced that they’ll see her on another Dick Wolf show come this fall. Read on for the theory of why fans think Hailey Upton is joining FBI and the clues both franchises have dropped along the way.

Upton sparked speculation she was joining FBI in the Chicago P.D. Season 11 finale, “More,” in which she revealed that she was leaving the Intelligence Unit to take some time for herself after she and Sergeant Hank Voight were almost killed on a case investigating a serial killer who wanted them both dead.

The final scene saw Upton alone at home as she looked at jobs with other government agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation. the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The episode ended with Upton putting a bag into a cab and heading to the airport as she left Chicago for good.

More: Where former Chicago P.D. stars are now

While Chicago P.D. didn’t reveal where Upton was headed, fans speculate that she could join CBS’ FBI franchise, which includes three shows: FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, and FBI: International. The series, like NBC’s One Chicago franchise, is also created by Dick Wolf. “I heard rumors about possibility joining FBI. Wishful thinking I know,” a fan wrote in a Reddit thread in April 2024.

Though the theory may seem like a stretch, there’s some credibility to it. Upton is the only character across the One Chicago franchise to crossover with FBI. She made a guest appearance in Season 2, Episode 19, “Emotional Rescue,” in which the FBI team investigates a drug deal gone bad and Upton clashes with the squad due to her more reckless investigative methods.

The FBI franchise has also been setting up the exits for at least two female agents: Maggie Bell on FBI and Sheryll Barnes on FBI: Most Wanted. While neither have confirmed their exits from the series, fans speculated that Maggie was on her way out after she was almost fatally shot toward the end of Season 6 and took a few episodes off to recover and focus on her new adopted daughter, Ella, whom she took in after Ella’s mother and Maggie’s friends, Jessica Blake’s death.

Barnes, for her part, was also almost fatally shot toward the end of FBI: Most Wanted Season 5. Though she survived, the incident put a lot of pressure on her and her wife, Charlotte, as Barnes contemplated whether a career as an FBI agent was worth the risk, given her young children. The actress who plays Barnes, Roxy Sternberg, is also pregnant with her second child, which could leave an opening for someone like Upton to join the FBI: Most Wanted cast.

If Spiridakos was to join the FBI franchise, she wouldn’t be the first One Chicago alum to do so. Colin Donnell, who played Connor Rhodes from Seasons 1 to 5 of Chicago Med, joined FBI: International in Season 3, replacing original star Luke Kleintank, who played Scott Forrester, in the two episodes before the finale.

Though there’s a lot going for the theory of Upton crossing over to FBI, not all fans are convinced that it will happen, given that Spiridakos has hinted that she left Chicago P.D. to pursue new opportunities. “I imagine the actress would want a new challenge, not another cop show role,” a user wrote in a Reddit thread in April 2024. Another commented, “I think she wants to get out of the cop role to avoid being type casted.”

More: Meet the Chicago P.D. cast’s children and families in real life

Spiridakos also seemed to confirm she was done playing Upton in an interview with NBC Insider after the Season 12 finale. “It was a really hard decision, and I don’t know that there’s ever a right time,” theshe said. “I think I’ve been on the show for just over seven years, like seven and a half-ish years, and I was just wanting to switch it up and kind of see what else was out there. That was really it. I’m so close with everybody. With our producers, Gwen, our writers, our cast, our crew. It was a really difficult and emotional time, for sure.”

More: See our Chicago P.D. Season 12 spoilers

She also hinted at her reason to leave the show to play different roles in an interview with Variety before the Season 12 finale. “I decided at the end of my sixth season, which is when I had reached out to Gwen and to everyone at Wolf to let them know that I just wanted to do one more year. I wanted us to send out the character with one last season,” Spiridakos said. “It was a hard decision — very, very hard. I love everybody on the show — cast, crew, producers, writers, everybody. It’s such an incredible team. I was just curious what was out there for me and wanted to switch it up, and that was it.”

While there’s a lot going for the theory of Upton joining Chicago P.D., it doesn’t look like Spiridakos is looking to reprise her role in another police procedural anytime soon. But hey, anything can happen in the world of Dick Wolf.

Chicago P.D. is available to stream on Peacock.

For more on Chicago P.D., check out Hailey Upton and Jay Halstead’s full relationship timeline in the gallery below.