Several disturbing factors led to the 2017 exit of Sophia Bush from NBC’s Chicago P.D.
Bush previously played Detective Erin Lindsay in the hit One Chicago drama series by Dick Wolf. The actress served as one of the mainstays of the police procedural, but her character departed the Chicago Intelligence Unit after being written out in the Season 4 finale.
Before Bush’s exit, another fan-favorite Chicago P.D. character, Alvin Olinsky, left the series in Season 3.
What Happened to Sophia Bush’s Erin Lindsay in Chicago PD?
In Chicago P.D.‘s Season 4 finale (which fans can stream on Peacock), Detective Erin Lindsay was stripped of her badge due to a misconduct investigation after placing her gun in the mouth of a pedophile while inside the interrogation room.
Meanwhile, Lindsay’s mom, Bunny, was in deep trouble after being held in custody for killing her boyfriend, Johnny.
It is later revealed that the FBI has been eyeing to recruit Lindsay for a while because they saw her as a worthy recruit to work undercover for the New York counter-terrorism unit.
Given that Bunny was in their custody, Lindsay accepted the offer but would only do so once her mom was released.
Sergeant Voight eventually learned that Bunny did kill Johnny, but he decided to toss the incriminating evidence that tied her to the crime. However, he warned Bunny that he would come after her if she decided to put her daughter in harm’s way.
Voight advised Lindsay not to look back and accept the FBI gig. She left Intelligence without saying a proper goodbye to the team, and she even ignored a phone call from her ex-boyfriend, Jay Halstead, who was planning to propose to her before her exit.
Here’s why Jay Halstead left the show after 10 seasons with Chicago P.D.
Sophia Bush’s Chicago PD Departure Explained
Sophia Bush left Chicago P.D. due to behind-the-scenes controversies, such as abusive behavior on set.
Speaking as a guest in Dax Shepard’s podcast, Armchair Expert, in December 2018, the actress shared that she stuck around for as long as she did because she has “always prioritized tugging the ship for the crew, for the show, [and] for the group,” noting that she was concerned that they would lose their jobs if she were to walk away:
“It has to stop, everything stops. I quit because, what I’ve learned is I’ve been so programmed to be a good girl and to be a workhorse and to be a tugboat that I have always prioritized tugging the ship for the crew, for the show, for the group, ahead of my own health.”
She then admitted that her “body was falling apart, because [she] was really, really unhappy.”
