Jason "Jay" Halstead is a former member of the CPD Intelligence Unit and former partner of his ex-wife, Detective Hailey Upton. Jay is the younger brother[1][2] of Dr. Will Halstead, a former main character on Chicago Med. He was portrayed by Jesse Lee Soffer.
Early Life[]
The Halsteads are from Chicago. Little is known about their family as neither brother talks much about it. Jay's brother Will, a doctor on Chicago Med, mentions that they are third-generation residents of the historically Irish-populated South Side neighborhood of Canaryville. They are from a blue-collar Irish Catholic background and both brothers attended Catholic school. Both were bullied as kids but always held their own, earning respect from their peers.
Their mother passed away from cancer; it was noted she was dying while Jay was deployed, but he came back to care for her. Neither brother has had a good relationship with their father Pat, as he disapproved of their career choices. Jay also mentions that Pat didn’t even attend his graduation from the Academy. Therefore he hadn't spoken to Pat in almost 2 years but still loved him. While Will was able to reconcile with him, Jay never did and only discovered after Pat's death that the latter was actually proud of him as well. He later admits to Upton that he found therapy helpful, though it is not until the season 6 episode Trigger that Halstead speaks at length about how his time overseas affected him, telling Upton that he had learned to deal with his PTSD and not let the past trauma define him.
Chicago PD[]
Jay Halstead had been in the Intelligence Unit for a month when the show premieres. As a skilled marksman and a former Ranger, he provides the tactical know-how and is often the designated sniper covering for the team when needed. His interrogation tactics are blunt and tough.
Season 1[]
In Conventions, Halstead accompanies Lindsay to her high school reunion. When Lindsay realizes she's out of place, the two instead go to dinner. There, she opens up about her childhood. It is also determined that Lindsay prefers to keep their relationship purely business because her boss Hank Voight (fatherly figure to Lindsay) doesn't tolerate relationships in the Intelligence Unit. He and the squad work with NYPD detectives to find a statewide serial killer. Halstead also learned fellow detective Alvin Olinsky is a veteran like him and he experience. Much later, Lindsay find their patience tested by a suspect whose attitude rubs them the wrong way and they force to kick him after another attack occurs. However, they learn the other suspect is actually a lookout and the real killer is at large but is sniped by Alvin.
In 8:30 PM, Jay and Intelligence are on the hunt for the hospital bombers. After catching one, they look for his partners and one was dead while the other was loose. Eventually, they identify the ringleader and his hideout. Halstead and Ruzek enter through the roof. There, they also find evidence of a third bomb, likely hidden in a white van near police headquarters and set to go off in half an hour. Intelligence speeds downtown, locating the van - disguised with blue paint - and calls in the bomb squad to disarm it. Meanwhile, the crew spots Powell on a roof nearby awaiting his big moment. Jay and Lindsay chase him through the building until he heads to the elevator. Voight has Sumner stay to handle the bomb while he and company jump into action, now on a race to detain Powell before the bomb detonates. They end up in a tense shootout on the roof until Voight bursts through and states they will bring him in alive. After Voight shoots Powell in the shoulder and Sumner relays that they dismantled the bomb, Voight slugs a smug Powell in the face for good measure before Jay slaps on the cuffs for the wounded man. Intelligence proceeds to take the bomber away.
In Chin Check, Jay visits the Corson's, the family of his high school sweetheart. After leaving them, Halstead would park his car outside the home of Lonnie Rodiger who had killed Ben Corson, the Corson' young son and his ex-girlfriend's younger brother. But Lonnie's dad Phil Rodiger covered it up, although everyone knew Lonnie did it because he was a child rapist and pedophile. It is mentioned that he would do this every year on the anniversary of Ben's death. This was to make his point to Lonnie that he had not forgotten about Ben and the other murder victims. After other officers would not do anything about it, Lonnie's fed up father, Phil, was forced to file a restraining order against Halstead.
During Now Is Always Temporary, Halstead violates the restraining order after finding them at a bar, where he attacks Phil. Jay states the bar knows what Lonnie did and they disgust him, while leaving the bar and shows his police badge to avoid trouble. He is subsequently warned by Voight not to mess with the Rodiger family again after the family voiced a complaint against him. At the end, he meets Antonio at Molly's and confides in why he hates the Rodiger family, while the latter tells him to be careful around them.
As of Different Mistakes, Jay has Jin monitor Lonnie and discovers he might be planning another kidnapping. He has Erin make a stop, where he once more tells Phil about his son being a pedophile. Unlike before, Phil considers it this time.
In A Material Witness, Jay is uncomfortable with the fact that nobody will comment on the Sergeant being arrested and released. He is annoyed when Erin and Antonio only told him to stay out of it. He is interrogated by Voight on what he did to the Rodiger's. He attempts to throw back the latter's arrest but backs down when Voight is angry.
In At Least It's Justice, he enters District 21 for his shift after talking about a hockey game but the stern looks of his friends confuses him. He is called in Voight's office, where the latter and Commander Perry are waiting for him. They notify him of Lonnie Rodiger murder and show off surveillance photos of Halstead's car tailing the victim. They state because Jay strongly hated Lonnie, he is a suspect. Even though he denies any involvement, Voight pulls Halstead's badge and finds Erin, Jin, and Dawson all against him. Jay also visits the parents of his ex-girlfriend who are both innocent but were to cover for him should he need it. Jay is later visited by Al who gives him advice. After a talk with Dawson, the latter realizes Jay was not the killer after he is upset that someone beat him to it and gives him a file. It is later revealed that Lonnie's father, Phil had discovered child pornography on Lonnie's computer and confronted him. The resulting argument ended in Lonnie being strangled with a belt.
In The Docks, Jay finds Antonio has survived the shot but is critically wounded. He is the most vocal against Alvin and Voight wanting to kill Pulpo instead of capturing him. Jay visits Antonio to relay the news about Pulpo and how it's unlikely to air on the evening news. Sharing Halstead's conviction for justice, Antonio tells him where he thinks Voight and Olinsky would take Pulpo: the docks. Jay heads there and finds the two detectives them, moments before sinking Pulpo into Lake Michigan wearing a "Chicago necklace" - chains around his neck linked to cement blocks. Jay pleads to Voight to not do it and the Sergeant refuses to give in - until Olinsky sides with Halstead. Pulpo will receive his day in court. Jay later meets Voight at Molly's, expecting an argument but Voight commends him on his sense of justice and buys him a drink.
Season 2[]
During Call It Macaroni, Jay gives his Sergeant the flash drive that Sheldon had given him and it’s fine evidence that links it to Edwin Stillwell. When Hank doesn’t want him involved in the case, Jay speaks to Erin about him asking if she really knows the details of her foster father. Later on, Jay is surprised when Hank announces his deal with IAB and they make amends. During the case, he shoots and kills Jacob Bembenek, brother of mobster Oskar Bembenek. While celebrating the arrest at Molly's, Jay learns from Alvin that a $100,000 bounty has been placed on him by Oskar Bembenek.
In Get My Cigarettes, Jay thinks nothing of his situation, going by his normal life even hitting it off with a bartender named Maddie until his home is ransacked. During a case, Jay talks down a young boy who is shooting people to protect his family using his own military experience he successfully gets through to him. At the end, he speaks with Erin at the bar before an attempt on his life is made and Maddie is shot.
As of The Weigh Station, Jay survives the assassination attempt and turns to tend to his bartender friend Maddie while Erin goes after the shooters. Maddie survives but is put in the hospital for her injuries. The next day, Jay wants to be part of the case but is angry when he is put in protective custody by Voight. Kim and Roman safeguard him to prevent him from going after his assailants especially when the shooter is brought in and Jay wants to attack him. After Hank and Alvin bring in a former hitman Joe Price, they are able to contact Shostak who orchestrated the hit after Oskar. After the man demands to see Jay alive, Jay forces Price to agree to the deal despite the protest of his colleagues. During the deal, Price betrays Jay when his son is kidnapped. However, Jay overpowers him and forces him to go along with the deal in exchange for saving his son. With help from Hank and the others, all of the men are arrested. Jay is praised by his Sergeant for what he did in the unit goes to celebrate at the bar. At the end, to prevent anymore attacks on Jay, Alvin has Oskar transferred to the prison where the vengeful brother of his murdered mistress is held. Jay later visits Maddie at the hospital, he also bumped into Sylvie Brett who was also curious. The doctors informed them that Maddie will make a recovery in a few days. Jay takes Sylvie up on her offer to celebrate at the bar.
During Disco Bob, Jay and Lindsay had a sexual encounter before they are called into work. They investigate a home invasion that led to the murder of a mother and her daughter called the Denton Family, while the son is missing. Soon the boy is found by Roman and Burgess and identifies the burglar. After tracking the burglar to a train station, Jay and the others pursue him until Ruzek arrests him and the burglar identifies the daughter's boyfriend Owen Reese as the orchestrator. Jay and Hank interrogate Owen and once pressuring him, he reveals that he did it to win back his girlfriend after scaring her judgmental mother. Owen frantically states he had no idea that Frank would execute them, saying Mrs. Denton should of just gave the money before Hank and Jay coldly reveal to Owen the Denton family was broke, that Shelby had no idea of their family trouble. Owen then cries at being unaware and having the family killed for nothing. He sadly says that he loved Shelby.
In the last several episodes of season 2, Lindsay spirals downhill and turns to alcohol and painkillers to deal with her guilt and grief over Nadia's death.
Season 3[]
In Life is Fluid, Jay persistently tries to maintain contact with Lindsay, even after Voight had given up. She turns in her badge to Voight, who declines to accept her resignation and files a 3-week leave of absence instead. He approached Voight on Lindsay, as the latter states she made her choice. Not satisfied with this he confronts Lindsay herself, he saw that she has spiralled out of control and tells her to call him when she comes to her senses. While on a undercover assignment, he is kidnapped by Derek Keyes, a notorious gangster and his goons. Taken to their base, Jay is tied up and repeatedly tortured by being tazed or beaten, though remains strong enough to endure it and only gives his name and rank while being complimented by the gangster for his strong will. He is used as a bargaining chip for Intelligence CI files. He is later saved by Erin who regained her wits to save him before the rest of the unit appears to arrest the thugs.
During Natural Born Storyteller, Jay is approached by his Sergeant and is asked to have Erin's back in her time of recovery. He is surprised, but accepts the task no matter what.
As of Actual Physical Violence, the precinct is thrown into disorder when a pleading man brings out a gun and holds Mouse hostage so they could find the man's daughter. As they gear up, Jay tells Voight if anything happened to the captive Mouse, he should take the shot but Hank tells him that they'd be lucky to avoid that.
In A Dead Kid, a Notebook and a Lot of Maybes, Jay volunteers to speak with a boy named Ethan who is going to bomb the school with his friends who committed suicide. Jay soon brings the boy in after it is revealed he was being raped by their pedophile teacher. Jay proceeded to watch the confrontation between Ethan and his coach Darren Sanders and realize that it was all true. After speaking with Ethan, Jay learns of another boy that got killed meeting someone. Jay chased the person through a train but the latter committed suicide by getting hit by another train. After the teacher is arrested, Jay wants to be the one to interrogate him but his sergeant held him off knowing that he is very angry. Instead, Jay watches as his sergeant tricks the man into exposing himself and the plot. Jay later congratulates Ethan on coming forward and telling the truth saying to his father (a soldier) would be proud.
During Forget My Name, Jay helps in the investigation. He and Lindsay apprehend the man who is revealed to being in a plot to kill his lovers husband so that they could be together. At the end, he and Lindsay stop Dana Goldsmith, the lawyer of the man by stating her client wouldn’t stop talking. To his surprise, the lawyer (who had displayed an interest in him earlier) ignores the taunts and writes her number down on a paper at his desk, before giving a flirty look and leaving. He immediately destroys the paper when Lindsay playfully acts jealous.
Season 4[]
In The Silos, Halstead tells Lindsay "Cases come and go, bosses come and go, jobs come and go, but I don't want you to come and go" and asks her to move in with him. They then decide to move into the apartment Lindsay already owns.
In 300,000 Likes, Jay and the unit have to deal with the case of a rich boy who is suspected of being responsible for several rapes and murders, as well as a witness being murdered before testifying. Jay saw Lindsay has a personal dislike towards the man. When Jay and Lindsay interview the man, not surprisingly Jay takes a dislike towards him too. Afterwards, the case is solved with the suspects and his fellow conspirators detained.
In the episode A Shot Heard Around the World, Jay isn't thrilled that his friend Antonio is leaving the unit. Dawson tells him that knowing the cop he has become made the decision easer to leave. During the case, he is infuriated that the killer is ex-military and he and his comrades all ran into a trap and laid by him.
During Remember the Devil, Jay is reunited with an old army buddy Abby who is also revealed to be his wife because of a marriage they had in Vegas. Abby reveals that she’s is getting married and needs him to sign the divorce papers. This creates a strain with Erin who was upset at his drunk mistake. After a case, he and Abby hang out before she reveals that she’s not really getting married and the reason she wanted to see him is because she loved him and wanted to give their relationship a try but Jay reveals that while he does care about her, he doesn’t feel the same. At the end, Jay also tells Erin that he is going to stay his brother’s house, despite her pleas.
In Fagin, Jay celebrates his birthday when Erin brings him an expensive bottle of wine. He gave some of the wine to Kevin, Adam, and Gabby.
During Army of One, Jay watches Erin committing brutality on a suspect.
In Fork in the Road, Jay had plans to propose to Erin but she was forced to leave Chicago after accepting an FBI offer.
Season 5[]
During Reform, Jay is accused of shooting and killing a child in a shootout between gangsters. He becomes a pariah as a result but ultimately the accusations are put to rest when the real shooters are apprehended. He tells Hailey that he thinks he’ll never be ready to confront the girls mother. However he goes through with it anyway and returns the necklace to her mother while apologizing for her loss. While walking away, he breaks down at the event.
In Care Under Fire, Jay is shown suffering from PTSD. He later volunteers to go undercover for a Ranger involved in a kidnapping.
During Monster, Jay continues to see Camilla while going by Ryan.
In Rabbit Hole, Jay continues dating Camilla but sees she is spiraling into bad habits. However, he witnesses a crime go down and implores her to run. He is later questioned on the nature of this relationship by his Sergeant and he has to lie to that he's just using her as a unknowing CI. However he has to ultimately reveal his status as a cop to her when she's involved in a shady business and a murder. At the end Hank later berates him for lying and tells him that he’s going to be looked into.
During Confidential, Jay apologizes to Voight for disobeying undercover protocol and putting the unit at risk. Subsequently, he is put on desk duty and it sent to a counsellor for his actions.
In Trigger, Jay is annoyed by a bomber leading them around. He is angry when the suspect turns out to be a former Army soldier. Throughout the investigation Jay is shown to want to interview a lot of suspect quicker then normal. It becomes clear throughout the episode that he is experience a little PTSD due to his service as a ranger. Hailey and Jay enter the basement of a suspect. There is a Muslim woman who is backed in the corner hiding something. Jay tells her to show her hands but the woman refuses to. He repeats himself serval times in Arabic showing he learned something while serving. Hailey puts her gun down and gently talks to the woman telling her it’s okay. The woman finally shows them her child whom she was protecting. Jay feels bad but is still on a mission. After furthering investigation they find out that it was Jake a fellow soldier. Jake goes to the mosque planning to blow everything up if they don’t get him what he wants. Jay convinces Voight to let him go in before the FBI does. Jay talks Miller down almost. Miller almost set the bomb off but with Kevin Atwater there they work together to prevent it. Outside the mosque, Jay admits to Hailey that he is not as okay as he thought he was. He missed the signs that it was Miller.
In Homecoming, Jay is one of the pallbearers to Alvin and pays tribute to his fallen comrade.
Season 6[]
During Endings, Jay is scolded by Hank who states it is his job to make sure that everyone in his unit is alive and tells him once he is recovered they will talk. Afterwards, Jay meets with his brother Will at their father's house and it was here that he finds that his father owned a portrait of him being accepted as a cop. This sight caused Jay to realize Pat was proud of him, causing him to break down. Kelly helped Jay find the man who killed his father and hurted his best friend and Severide's girlfriend Kidd.
During Trust, Jay is notified of Kevin's condition. Knowing how his sergeant will react, he appears at the conference to stop Voight before he does something to Kelton.
In Outrage, Jay goes undercover with a CI and investigates a criminal card game but it’s angry when he found out one of the men is a criminal Matthew Garret who he once tried to put away. Jay tries to leave but is spotted and taunted by Garret.
Season 7[]
During Infection, Part 3, Jay is held captive by a doctor who is trying to release a deadly epidemic on the city.
During Mercy, Jay is rushed to hospital where he is given surgery. In the end, he survived the shooting but is left wounded.
In 43rd and Normal, Jay is back at work but has to be on desk duty.
Season 8[]
In Tender Age, Jay and Hailey hang out before she tells him that she has been offered a job with the FBI in New York but turns it down and finally expresses her feelings for Halstead, which leads to him kissing her.
During Unforgiven, Jay and Hailey are continuing their status before he tells her to see her hospitalized father.
In Equal Justice, Halstead soon discovers that the son might have been killed over a relationship. He goes to the father and tells him his son was working part time at a market to buy an AC for him, explaining the money. At the end, Jay goes to see Latrell and after a talk about fathers and sons Jay asks what he did with the gun. Soon Latrell confesses that he threw the gun in the river after killing K-MAC. Still wanting to help, Jay tells him that it is good while instructing him to ask for a lawyer and to keep his mouth shut. Realizing Jay is trying to help him, Latrell agrees and Jay brings him in.
In The Other Side, Halstead and the team was looking for Burgess because she had been kidnapped, by Roy Walton and Kent. he and Kevin Altwater was searching the car to find Kim. They found it with the help of Trudy Platt.
Season 9[]
In A Way Out, Jay and Hailey got marry in a courthouse; Jay wanna live with Hailey until they die so that's when he proposed to Hailey and then got marry.
Season 10[]
He ghosted Hailey when he was in Bolivia, he didn't return her calls or say hi to her or the team.
Season 11
In Unpacking divorce papers and send it to The Intelligence Unit, so that Hailey can see it and are there actually divorcing.
Chicago Med[]
In 4x09 of Chicago Fire, Herrmann is stabbed by a paranoid worker - Freddie, also an ex-con, that Herrmann had hired after requests from Joe Cruz. Freddie is offended by a joke made by Herrmann and stabs him and runs off. In 1x04 of Chicago Med, Firehouse 51 and the team of Med is there to treat Herrmann. Jay's brother, Will, is the attending with Dr. Rhodes. Things go sideways when Rhodes slightly delays in treating Herrmann, leading to a complication. Severide and the rest of 51 push on getting answers, leading them to ask Jay to ask Will - who has a very strained personal relationship with Rhodes - whether Rhodes made the right call. Jay asks Will, who tells him he personally thought that Rhodes delayed treating Herrmann. Jay tells Severide, who calls out Rhodes in front of everyone. Rhodes is upset and figures out it was Will and they argue. Will tells Jay their discussion was confidential, to which Jay replied he never explicitly said this. Will tells him he won't make that mistake again, while Jay replies he also won't be passing on information from crime scenes to him anymore. They later apologize to each other, resolving the argument. Jay makes several other appearances on Chicago Med, noticeably when Natalie Manning asks him out on a date and he declines after talking to Will, telling him "man, you really need to get it together". He also assists on several criminal cases, including that of a young rape victim in "White Butterflies". In Season 6, Jay appeared several times when Will got caught up in a money laundering case he was working on. Jay persuaded Will to work with the CPD and FBI in taking down Ray Burke, who was a family friend and whose sons had asked him to make a house call on their ill father. Will was reluctant in helping because he felt he was betraying his patients trust, but both Jay and Agent Ingrid Lee told him he had no other choice. In the end, Ray and his sons figured out Will was working with police and kidnapped him, forcing him to operate on Ray at gunpoint. Jay tracked him down and took him into Witness Protection until the threat was gone.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Pat Halstead[]
Jay was estranged from his father, as Pat disapproved of his and Will's career choices. Jay mentioned that he hadn't spoken to him in two years. Jay is shown to strongly resent his father and exhibits a significant change in mood and demeanour whenever he is so much as mentioned. When Pat was brought into the hospital after a huge fire, Jay was devastated and stayed by his father side as he was in the hospital but ultimately chose to investigate the cause of the fire and put away the men responsible. While Will was able to reconcile with him, Jay never did and only discovered after Pat's death that the latter was actually proud of him as well. After learning this, Jay broke down and properly mourned his father.
Will Halstead[]
Although Jay and Will are on good terms and very close, Jay has expressed some lingering resentment towards Will for not being there when their mother died, during which time Jay was deployed and Will was (in Jay's words) "out partying" in New York. While neither of them are close to their father, Jay, unlike Will, had not spoken to him in over two years prior to Will's introduction in season 2 of Chicago P.D. When Pat was hospitalized (Chicago Med season 2 episode "Generation Gap") Jay was very reluctant to see him even then. Jay is extremely protective of Will and is very quick to jump to his defence. In The Number of Rats, the SVU crossover includes Will being called in for questioning by Voight and Olivia Benson without telling Jay the motive behind it. Olivia believes Will is connected to the brutal murders of young women, due to the fact that he works at a hospital and lived in New York where and when one of the victims was murdered and sees him as a suspect, since the killer had medical knowledge like Will. Voight doesn't tell Jay this, who only finds out after Will is ambushed by the string of questions when he is brought in to "help". Jay is furious and demands Will be taken out as soon as he realizes what's going on, never once doubting his innocence. Will tries to say he will help and is ready to answer the questions but Jay won't let him, and forces him to leave and not say anything. In the Chicago Fire episode I Am The Apocalypse, Chicago Med's backdoor pilot, Will is inside the Emergency Department when a terrorist sets off a bomb. He is not seriously injured, but Jay is shown to be very worried about him, immediately saying "tell me you're not in there" when Will calls him from inside the building. Likewise, Will has expressed his concern about Jay's mental well-being following Erin's sudden departure, his shot wound and the grisly and draining nature of his work in the CPD. Will even rushed to help him in the Infection, Part III upon learning he is dealing with a mad criminal doctor.
Hailey Upton[]
The two partners finally open up about their feelings at the end of 8x03, when Hailey tells Jay that she is declining her job offer. She confesses her feelings and the two share a kiss. Their relationship continues to strengthen and becomes more serious when Jay proposes to Hailey in 9x01, and she says yes. In the midseason finale of season 9, after an emotional case, the two decide to not wait any longer and get married. Jay signed the divorce papers in Unpacking and left them on her desk.
Romance[]
Gabriela Dawson[]
Jay and Gabriela had a short-lived relationship while he was working as a double agent against a ruthless stake owner of Mda. She was shocked to learn he was a cop who worked with her brother Antonio. Their relationship ended when Halstead expressed his desire to join Intelligence. She remains good friends with him, hanging out at Molly's.
Abby McSweeney[]
Abby is Jay's ex-wife
Abby and Jay met in the Rangers, being good friends. They got married one night whilst they were very drunk in Vegas, after a fellow ranger's funeral. Jay signed divorce papers almost immediately afterward and hadn't seen her since. She returns in Remember the Devil, stating she didn't countersign the papers all those years ago and she and Jay are still married. Abby then says she needs him sign the papers because she's getting married. At a bar, the pair hung out and had a good time with Abby wanting it to continue but Jay politely declined and offered to sign the papers. However, she tells him that the story about getting married was a lie, and reveals she's back because she really loves him and wanted a relationship. Jay was surprised but tells her they can't be together and that she deserves someone who'll love her back.
Erin Lindsay - (see Linstead)[]
Jay developed feelings for Erin after they started working together. After getting to know a little about her background, they both had feelings for each other, but Voight would not let them work together and date at the same time and so they didn't. However, in season 2, they started dating and assured Voight it wouldn't interfere with their work. This was after Lindsay temporarily accepted another job offer. Jay never really disclosed to Erin about his time in the military or opened up to her about the PTSD he had suffered. Only ever getting hints from Will or Mouse. They continued to date on and off but always remained close. However, in Season 2 , Lindsay broke it off after Nadia's death and left Intelligence, spending her nights in clubs and bars in grief. Jay was insistent on bringing her back and calling her everyday but she refused to do so. Voight left her after weeks of waiting, upset at her choice. In Life is Fluid, Jay was kidnapped and tortured in an undercover case gone wrong. Erin came back to save him, after which she came back to the unit and got back together with Jay. In You Wish, Jay ordered a DNA test to see whether Jimmy, who Bunny claimed was Erin's real father, was her real father. She didn't want to do it but he did it behind her back and gave her the test that showed he wasn't. Jimmy lashed out in anger and Erin was extremely hurt, blaming it on Jay for ordering it in the first place. In Remember the Devil, Will told Jay that his ex-wife, Abby, is in town and tracked them both down. Jay brushes it off until he sees her outside the station waiting for him. He tells Erin to go and meets up with Abby, who tells him that he needs to sign the divorce papers. Jay was married to her but he tells her he did sign them, which she says she threw away without filing. He agrees to re-sign. Erin eventually asks him if he's cheating on her. He tells her about Abby and their small marriage that he says was only a joke and it was over quickly. She is upset he didn't tell her about it but he feels guilty for not telling her about it. He meets up with Abby, who says she still loves him. Feeling conflicted, he immediately tells Abby no but goes home and packs. He tells Erin he'll be staying with Will for some time until things are okay. She tells him not to but he says he needs to sort his life out and leaves, that is when they break up. After that, they still have feelings for each other but are not together. Jay later realizes he made a huge mistake by letting Erin go so he asks his brother to give him their mother's engagement ring, so he can propose to her. Unfortunately, by the time he got the ring and tells Erin to meet with him, leave Chicago PD miss she are with she was already at New York for her new job. Erin Lindsay left at the end of season 4 to go to a different job in New York.
Brianna Logan[]
Jay worked as a guard for her Medical marijuana farm. They first meet in A Night Owl, Jay jokingly told Brianna that a month ago he would most likely have arrested her but he needed the extra money. She had liked his joke and got him to work. During Forty-Caliber Bread Crumb, she offers Jay a dinner date but he tried to turn her down and she told him to consider it. It was noted by the other guards that there seemed to be a spark, causing an amused Jay to smirk before a robbery occurred. He later learned from Jason Logan, Brianna's soon to be ex-husband that she is attracted to him and has voiced it multiple times in private, something that surprised him. After recovering her money, Jay told her that things were good now and Brianna tried to act on her attraction by asking him out while he was flattered, he turned it down because of his relationship with Erin. However it is implied that she has not given up and her offer still stands, something that made him smile.
Hailey Upton - (see Upstead)[]
Initially, Halstead and Upton were on uneasy terms with one another on a case that brought her unit against his. However, after joining Intelligence, their relationship slowly begins to smooth out; both become good friends and partners with one another by the time Lindsay leaves for New York. Throughout their time as partners, they have relied on each other as confidants and for comfort. Hailey is the first to suggest Jay get some help after an undercover operation gone awry triggers a relapse of his PTSD. His initial refusal to get professional help prompts her to threaten him with changing partners. She often asks for updates regarding his sessions and is happy to know that it benefits him. Likewise, Jay visits her after a similar operation turned personal for Hailey and shared a drink with her. It is very likely that Hailey holds romantic feelings for him, and he also seems to return those feelings. However neither of them have yet outwardly spoken about their obvious feelings, but 'Upstead' fans are hopeful that new episodes of season 8 will change this. Hailey is also the first to tend to Jay after he gets shot in Endings, crying even after knowing he is okay because they are partners. Furthermore, after Jay sustains serious injuries in Mercy, Hailey is deeply affected and doesn't leave the hospital until she knows Jay is okay. At the end of the episode, Hailey is about to express that she still has feelings for Jay but is interrupted by a phone call. At this point, it is fairly obvious that they both have deep romantic feelings for each other. In Tender Age, they end up kissing. In Closure, Hailey ends up proposing at the start but at the end of the episode, Jay does it the "old fashioned way". After Voight and Jay resolve the Roy Walton case in A Way Out, Hailey and Jay, at the latter's suggestion, marry.
Key 'Upstead' Moments
- After a tough case in 6x07, Hailey talks about what she calls their thing. She says that this is what they tend to do. After offering to buy Jay a beer, her direct quote is "This is just part of the thing, so.", to which he replies, "What thing?". Hailey then states that their thing is "The thing that works, between us. Bad case, one of us doesn't want the other one around, the other one stays anyway. We talk, we feel better and we're able to go to work the next day. It works.".
- After finding out about the season 6 fling between Adam and Hailey, Jay says to her, "We're good. And we're always gonna be good."
- Jay and Hailey have both said, "Following me?" to each other. Jay has also said, "I'd follow you anywhere.", and Hailey has said that she would follow him blind.
- Whilst Hailey is in New York, Trudy asks Jay if he misses her. Jay replies with, "Yeah, she's my partner."
- In 7x10, after Jay has been shot, Hailey stays at the hospital the whole time. While she is there, Vanessa comes to give her some clean clothes and food. She sits down next to Hailey and says, "Its hard because you love him.", to which Hailey pauses for a second, then says, "Of course I love him, he's my partner." It is later on in this episode that Hailey almost confesses her feelings.
- In 7x16, Jay buys roses for his 'girlfriend' as a cover, then gives them to Hailey.
- Jay and Hailey are arguing that Hailey is in too deep, and Hailey says that it doesn't concern Jay. Jay then replies with, "Yes it does, good or bad, right or wrong, you know it does."
- Also when Hailey is in New York, the last episode of season 7 begins with an Upstead phone call. On this call, Hailey admits to confesses her second love missing Jay, by saying, "I miss the wind, and you.".
- In 8x03, Jay and Hailey kiss for the first time.
- 8x04 begins with Jay and Hailey making out in bed, at 6 a.m., after spending the night at her place.
- 8x16 Hailey asks Jay to marry her
- 9x01 After a tough case, Jay proposed to Hailey and she says yes
- 9x03 Jay and Hailey officially move into their new place
- 9x09 Jay and Hailey get married
- 11x1 Jay signed the divorce papers and left them on Hailey's desk.
Friends[]
Antonio Dawson[]
Antonio is the one who got Jay on the Intelligence unit by vouching for him to his sergeant. Jay is very appreciative of him, vowing to not let him down for giving him the opportunity. Antonio often tries to keep Jay in line when he tries to question the Sergeant's way of police work. Despite this, the pair's status always stay on friendly ground.
Jay was also shocked to hear that Antonio will be transferred to working to the attorney office but supported him regardless.
Alvin Olinsky[]
One of Jay's superior officers. Although they often don’t see eye-to-eye because of their respective views, Jay was the one to convince him and Voight not to kill Pulpo out of personal vendetta. Alvin also helped Jay when he was under investigation for a murder. They get along, especially because they are fellow military veterans in the unit. When Alvin died, Jay was upset by this and joined the unit in arresting those responsible. He later paid respect to Alvin at his funeral.
Greg "Mouse" Gerwitz[]
Greg "Mouse" Gerwitz was Jay's best friend and part of his team when he was deployed to Afghanistan. During Mouse's interview for the IT job in What Puts You On That Ledge, Platt mentions that Mouse received a medical discharge and asks him about the incident. Mouse tells her that he and Jay were in the lead of a convoy, and although he becomes very uncomfortable and does not continue, it is implied that their convoy was bombed and Mouse and Jay were both seriously injured, resulting in their medical discharge. They helped each other through their difficulties readjusting to civilian life and PTSD; Will tells Erin that Mouse was the one who looked after his brother after their return from war and helped him with "what he was going through", and Jay later reveals that Mouse would call him in the middle of the night when he couldn't sleep due to the psychological trauma. Mouse served as Jay's CI for a short period of time (likely due to his felony charge). The following year, Jay helps him get the job at the District, saying of Mouse, "I would trust him with my life. And I have, several times." He advocates for him when Voight is suspicious due to Mouse's criminal record and PTSD symptoms and is extremely concerned when he is held hostage in Actual Physical Violence, even telling Voight that he should be the one to kill Mouse's captor. In Season 4, Mouse starts thinking about going back to the Army Rangers. In Made A Wrong Turn, he tells Jay that he's been thinking about returning to the Rangers. Jay is immediately angry and worried about him, asking if he remembers "what it did to you". He tells him that they will discuss it later, and Mouse brings it up again in A War Zone, bringing the argument to a head. Jay also brings up Mouse's criminal record; Mouse then asks Voight for a favor to clean his record or he won't be allowed back, and Voight says he'll consider it. Mouse says he wants action, so Jay tells him to become a police officer like him, but Mouse says he was "born to be a soldier" and would re-enlist even if it meant death. Jay, blinded by his concern, refuses to let him and this angers Mouse, who then shouts back at Voight after ignoring him in front of the whole team, saying that this is the only thing he's ever asked for. Erin, after breaking up an argument between Jay and Mouse, helps Jay to realize that returning to the army is a bad idea - for Jay, and he is projecting that onto Mouse. Jay comes around and has Platt clear his record, telling Mouse at the end of A War Zone that if he wants to re-enlist, he's "behind him 100 percent". In a deleted scene, he says that he considers the Chicago P.D. - especially Jay - family, and he will always carry them with him.
Hank Voight[]
In earlier seasons, Jay was suspicious of Voight's activities and they often came to blows. However, Jay respected Voight for his intent on protecting the people of Chicago and getting the job done. This was best seen in The Docks, where Jay stops Voight from killing Pulpo. Although Voight nearly tried, he was talked out of it. At a bar, Voight surprises Halstead with encouragement; he respects the detective's conviction and tells him not to change at all, for the sake of the unit. Voight also seems to care for Jay, as he put him under protection in The Weigh Station and didn't want him on assignment, knowing the potential dangers Jay could face. Despite his initially strict policy on relationships in his unit, Voight didn't seem to care for Jay's romance with Erin, as long as they could depend on each other even asking Jay to look out for her. In Get Back to Even, Voight later helped Jay protect Will, his brother, from harm when a gunman attacked them while the latter was operating on an off-book patient. When Voight nearly confronted Kelton in Trust, Jay had expected this and immediately talked him out of it. In Reckoning, Hank shows faith that one day that Jay might be in charge of the unit.
In Season 9, he begins to suspect that Voight has something to do with Hailey behaving strangely. After investigating, Jay confronts Voight about the murder of a sex trafficker and punched him once he revealed Hailey was dragged in it. Despite his anger, Jay seemed reluctant when FBI agent North wanted him to turn over Voight. He soon aids Voight in keeping the FBI off his trail once they start suspecting Voight. Jay asked him what his plan was telling him that while he may not agree with his methods that Voight is the type of a cop Chicago needs to protect it. This is seen again after he threatened North with incriminating evidence and told him to stay away from Voight.
Notes and Trivia[]
- Halstead served in the 3rd Battalion 75t. Ranger regiment
- His Ranger uniform displays: Army Achievement Medal Ribbon, Army Good Conduct Medal Ribbon, National Defence Service Medal Ribbon, Afghanistan Campaign Ribbon, Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Medal Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Ribbon, Army Valorous Unit Citation, Presidential Unit Citation
- Halstead has switched his service weapon three times:
- Season 1 showed him using a Glock 17.
- In seasons 2-5, Jay used a standard Glock 19.
- After Confidential, he uses a modified version of the latter with a nickel-finished and serrated slide, called ‘The Spartan’ created by ZEV Technologies.
- In season 7, his duty gun becomes an OZ9, also created by ZEV Technologies.
- After "[riding] shotgun since day 1 with no complaint" alongside Erin Lindsay (and occasionally using her Chrysler 300C), Jay drove a 2017 GMC Sierra AT4 from Season 4 to Season 6, after which it is switched out for a 2019 RAM 1500 Limited.
- He has mentioned the former as being his "dream rig."
- The latter is likely a nod back to the Dodge Ram 1500 previously used by Antonio Dawson, especially with its matte-grey repainting since Descent.
- Jay is licensed to ride motorcycles, as seen in a crossover with Chicago Fire, when he arrives at a crime scene with a Ducati Monster 797. Whether he actually owns it is unknown, as it is not seen again afterwards.
- His radio code was 5021 George, his badge number 51163.
- His Class A uniform displays the Lifesaving Award, Traffic Stop of the Month Award, Special Service Award, Police Blue Star Award, Superintendent's Award of Merit, and Democratic Convention Service Award.
- According to a doctor, Jay has a large injury list.
- He has had six broken fingers.
- One broken wrist.
- Five broken ribs.
- Lacerated skull.
- Over 100 stitches.
- From season 7 until season 10 episode 3, he was the last original detective.
- He has the most appearance on Chicago Med with 28 episodes (as of August 2021). He had the second most appearance of Chicago fire with 18 episodes (Antonio has the most.)
- He did a short stint in Organized Crime before joining Intelligence.
- Jay has been divorced twice.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Jay Halstead Season 1 (Original).jpg (66 KB)")
.jpg "Jay Halstead Season 3 (Original).jpg (42 KB)")
Appearances[]
| Season 7 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doubt | Assets | Familia | Infection, Part III | Brother's Keeper |
| False Positive | Informant | No Regrets | Absolution | Mercy |
| 43rd and Normal | The Devil You Know | I Was Here | Center Mass | Burden of Truth |
| Intimate Violence | Before the Fall | Lines | Buried Secrets | Silence of the Night |
Chicago Med[]
- S1E1 Derailed
- S1E4 Mistaken
- S1E5 Malignant
- S1E7 Saints
- S1E13 Us
- S2E8 Free Will
- S2E17 Monday Mourning
- S2E20 Generation Gap
- S2E21 Deliver Us
- S2E22 White Butterflies
- S2E23 Love Hurts
- S3E11 Folie à Deux
- S3E16 An Inconvenient Truth
- S3E18 This Is Now
- S3E19 Crisis of Confidence
- S3E20 The Tipping Point
- S4E2 When to Let Go
- S4E3 Heavy Is the Head
- S4E4 Backed Against the Wall
- S4E5 What You Don't Know
- S4E6 Lesser of Two Evils
- S4E7 The Poison Inside Us
- S4E9 Death Do Us Part
- S4E14 Can't Unring That Bell
- S4E16 Old Flames, New Sparks
- S5E4 Infection, Part II
- S5E8 Too Close to the Sun
- S5E16 Who Should Be the Judge
Chicago Fire[]
- S2E1 A Problem House
- S2E2 Prove It
- S2E3 Defcon 1
- S2E4 A Nuisance Call
- S2E5 A Power Move
- S2E6 Joyriding
- S2E11 Shoved in My Face
- S2E20 A Dark Day
- S3E9 Arrest in Transit
- S3E11 Let Him Die
- S3E19 I Am the Apocalypse
- S5E12 An Agent of the Machine
- S6E13 Hiding Not Seeking
- S7E2 Going to War
- S7E15 What I Saw
- S7E18 No Such Thing as Bad Luck
- S7E4 Infection, Part I
- S7E5 Buckle Up