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:
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 (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.
Jesse Spencer (Captain Matthew Casey, ‘Chicago Fire’)
The Australian actor, who portrayed Captain Matthew Casey, exited Chicago Fire in October 2021 after 10 seasons. He appeared in the 200th episode that month and later made a cameo on the season 10 finale in May 2022. Spencer revealed at the time of his departure that he needed a break from doing TV shows for 18 years straight.
“It was a difficult decision because I’ve loved this show from the start, but there’s other things that I would love to do in the future and there’s some family that I need to take care of,” he said in an October 2021 statement. “My home here with my wife [Kali Woodruff Carr] is in Chicago, and I’m still going to be here, I’m just stepping back for right now. … I’m stepping away but I’ll be back.”
Spencer stayed true to his word, coming back for two episodes during season 11 in 2023. He also reprised his Neighbours role as Billy Kennedy in 2022 after exiting the soap opera in 2005.
Yaya DaCosta (April Sexton, ‘Chicago Med’)
The model announced her exit in 2021, leaving the show after starring on the first six seasons, sharing via Instagram, thanking many “for giving April wings to explore such dynamic storylines,” and adding, “The cast and crew were so good to me and the background actors gave me so much energy and love, even in silence.” DaCosta then joined the cast of Fox’s Our Kind of People in 2021 as the main cast member.
The America’s Next Top Model alum shares one son with ex Joshua Bee Alafia.
Torrey DeVitto (Natalie Manning, ‘Chicago Med’)
The Pretty Little Liars alum decided to exit the show when her contract was up at the end of season 6, sharing the news via Instagram in May 2021. “It has been such an honor and pure joy to bring Dr. Natalie Manning to life for all of you on Chicago Med for the past 6 seasons. But it is now time for her and me to bow out and say goodbye,” she wrote at the time. The actress is set to star in Skelly and The Christmas Promise in 2021.
DeVitto was married to Paul Wesley from 2011 to 2013. She briefly dated Artem Chigvintsev, Jesse Lee Soffer and Will Estes. In May 2021, she confirmed she is dating Chicago Cubs manager David Ross.
Archie Kao (Sheldon Jin, ‘Chicago P.D.’)
Kao’s detective character was murdered in the season 1 finale. He has since appeared in the Chinese TV series Fighter of the Destiny, Nothing Gold Can Stay and Never Gone. In 2020, he announced his divorce from actress Zhou Xun, whom he married in 2014.
Dora Madison (Jessica ‘Chilli’ Chilton, ‘Chicago Fire’)
Her character was fired in season 4 after she nearly gave a patient the wrong medicine and later relapsed in her addiction to alcohol. Madison went on to appear in the series What Would Diplo Do? and the movies Song to Song, The Honor Farm and Bliss. The Friday Night Lights alum announced she was expecting her first child in April 2020.
Brian Geraghty (Sean Roman, ‘Chicago P.D.’)
His character left the show in the season 3 finale after an injury left the department thinking he wouldn’t be able to return to patrol. Instead, he took a job with the San Diego Police Department. In real life, Geraghty has gone on to play Theodore Roosevelt in The Alienist. He also starred in the Netflix movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile and has a starring role on ABC’s Big Sky.
Sophia Bush (Erin Lindsay, ‘Chicago P.D.’)
Bush left after season 4, with her character moving to New York to work for the FBI.
The John Tucker Must Die star has since appeared on This Is Us, Jane the Virgin and Love, Victor. The activist is also the host of the “Work in Progress” podcast. As for her love life, Bush, who dated costar Jesse Lee Soffer while on Chicago P.D., was spotted getting close to Grant Hughes in May 2020. The pair got engaged in August 2021. In June 2022, Us broke the news that Bush and Hughes tied the knot in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the Philbrook Museum of Art.
Monica Raymund (Gabriela Dawson, ‘Chicago Fire’)
Her character exited after season 6 to relocate to Puerto Rico. “I felt like I was hungry to explore a different role, a different story. I wanted to explore a different world,” she told The Chicago Tribune in 2018. “I had been in Chicago for five years and just personally where I was in my life, I was ready to create my home and kind of plant some roots in Los Angeles.”
Raymund stars on Hightown and has directed episodes of FBI. She has been dating Tari Segal since 2015.
Colin Donnell (Connor Rhodes, ‘Chicago Med’)
Donnell’s alter-ego, Connor, departed following Ava’s death in season 5.
The actor has since appeared on Arrow and Almost Love, formed a band named The Nineteen Twenty and starred in a Hallmark Channel movie with wife Patti Murin called Love on Iceland. The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Cecily, in July 2020.
Jon Seda (Antonio Dawson, ‘Chicago P.D.’)
His character moved to Puerto Rico after season 6 to be with his sister following problems with addiction. The actor told fans on Instagram that he will “always treasure the time and stories we shared.”
Seda has since been spending time with his family. He shares four children with wife Lisa Gomez, whom he wed in 2000. The Selena star is still pursuing new acting roles too.
Lauren German (Leslie Shay, ‘Chicago Fire’)
German’s Shay was killed off in season 3. The actress moved on to a series regular role on Lucifer.
Elias Koteas (Alvin Olinsky, ‘Chicago P.D.’)
His character died in prison in season 5. Koteas was next set to appear in a show called Cipher, but the pilot was not picked up.
Charlie Barnett (Peter Mills, ‘Chicago Fire’)
Mills left in season 3 to open a restaurant in North Carolina. The actor has since starred on You, Arrow, Secrets and Lies, Code Black, Orange Is the New Black, Valor, Russian Doll and Tales of the City.
Rachel DiPillo (Sarah Reese, ‘Chicago Med’)
The TV doctor departed in season 4 to continue her residency elsewhere. DiPillo retreated from the public eye after exiting Chicago Med and has yet to act in any other projects.
Yuri Sardarov (Brian ‘Otis’ Zvonecek, ‘Chicago Fire’)
His character died in a fire in season 8. “A fond farewell to Otis, he’ll forever be my friend,” the Argo star tweeted at the time. “And to all of you that knew him and loved him to the end, he had a bushy mustache and a soul patch to boot. It’s never really over, he’ll always love you too.”
Sardarov has since appeared in Adam. The actor, who has a partner named Madeleine, revealed in October 2019 that he planned to move to L.A. and pursue comedy writing.
Norma Kuhling (Ava Bekker, ‘Chicago Med’)
Her character was killed off early in season 5. Kuhling shared on Instagram at the time that she felt “nothing but gratitude” for the experience.
The actress has since starred in Fourteen and Lullaby to Love. She is married, though she has kept her husband’s name to herself.
Annie Ilonzeh (Emily Foster, ‘Chicago Fire’)
The actress exited after season 8, with her character applying to med school. In 2022, she starred in the action film Agent Game alongside Dermot Mulroney and Mel Gibson.
Steven R. McQueen (Jimmy Borelli, ‘Chicago Fire’)
His character was sidelined after an injury. The actor went on to appear on The Vampire Diaries, Legacies, The Warrant and Medal of Honor. Us exclusively reported in May 2018 that McQueen called off his engagement to Alexandra Silva.
