‘We should talk about that’

Former Chicago PD stars Tracy Spiridakos and Jesse Lee Soffer have recently sparked engagement rumors as the actress, who starred as Hailey Upton in the NBC series, has been spotted wearing a stunning emerald ring on her left ring finger.

But Tracy – who will star in USA Network’s upcoming drama Anna Pigeon – has now confirmed that the pair are not engaged, after HELLO! spotted the ring on the red carpet at the 2026 Grace Awards and asked if the pair were engaged.

“No – and we should talk about that because I think people keep asking online,” laughed Tracy, “but it’s just a ring, just a ring!”

The pair have never officially confirmed their romance but soft-launched across social media with vacation pictures and rare pictures of their home life. 

Tracy and Jesse, who starred as Jay Halstead in the NBC drama, recently adopted a new pet dog, Cali, after their former pup, Nala, passed away in 2025.

© Getty Images for Alliance for Wo

Tracy says that they were both “feeling the vacancy” in their lives when they met Cali, who was “in a shelter and she needed some help”.

“A friend of mine brought it to our attention and we were thrilled to be able to get in there with the help of a rescue company, and we got her the surgery that she needed,” shares Tracy.

© Tracy Spiridakos

Jesse and Tracy were both in Chicago shooting the One Chicago crossover episodes, which aired in March, when they got the call that their adoption of Cali had been confirmed. They flew back to Los Angeles during a break to welcome her to their home.

“It was a whole process, but she just needed some loving, and we were there,” says Tracy. “She’s still a puppy, but when we got her, she was 15lbs and she’s now close to 55lbs — she’s six months and 55lbs. She’s the best!”

“When my wonderful friend @kingaphilipps told us about her, Jesse and I knew right away we were adopting her,” Tracy wrote via Instagram in February 2026, sharing the news of their family’s addition.

© Tracy Spiridakos

Tracy left Chicago PD in 2024 at the end of season 11 after joining the show during season four, and becoming a series regular in season five. Her character, Hailey Upton, wed Jay Halstead in season nine, but Jesse shocked viewers when he confirmed he would be leaving in season ten. 

The character of Jay left to join a task force in Bolivia, but fans were devastated to see that their marriage then crumbled over the course of the season as Jay ghosted Hailey.

Their characters reunited for the first time on screen in Season 13, with their status left open-ended when Haley asked Jay if he wanted to get a drink.

In real life, the pair’s romance was first hinted at in 2024 when they vacationed together in Europe sharing pictures of their trip. “Europe is kinda cool,” Jesse wrote via Instagram alongside snaps that included Tracy.