Chicago P.D.'s 21st District will see a shake up during the current season as Patrick John Flueger has taken a leave of absence. The star plays Adam Ruzek in the Intelligence Unit of the show, but is stepping back temporarily HELLO! has learned. We have been told that Patrick will return later in the season but has made a sudden decision to depart to deal with a personal matter.
Deadline says the scripts are being reworked in his absence which comes during season 13 which debuted this month. Patrick is one of four original cast members who are still on the show. His rollercoaster relationship with Marina Squerciati's character, Detective Kim Burgess, has kept fans on the edge of their seats for years. But in real life, his break from Chicago P.D comes after a reported difficult time and reports of an instance of alcohol on set.
© NBCChicago P.D. is just one of the sprawling One Chicago franchises on NBC, which are used to weathering shake-ups and accommodating their stars. Chicago Fire's Taylor Kinney famously took leave for ten months for personal matters and more recently, Chicago Med saw some difficult episodes when Dr. Halstead, and Dr. Manning returned for season 11.
Among one of its most heartbreaking departures was that of Jesse Lee Soffer from Chicago P.D. in 2023. He played Jay Halstead for almost ten years. Viewers were overjoyed in September when they learned he'd be returning, albeit not in front of the camera.
© Lori Allen/NBC
© Peter Gordon/NBCThe FBI: International actor took to Instagram and shared a round of behind-the-scenes photos from the set where he was directing a new episode of Chicago P.D. for season 13.
He wrote: "I was honored to get to spend some time directing with my PD fam. More pics to come later don't wanna give away too much of the episode!" He added: "Very grateful," with a red heart emoji. Fans were then quick to take to the comments section under the post and rave over it, with one writing: "Can't wait to see the episode! Very cool!" and many more echoing the statement.
© Getty© NBCIt was the third Chicago P.D. episode Jesse directed; he previously helmed "Deadlocked" in season ten, and made his directorial debut for "Inventory" the following season.
Patrick has been in a relationship with his girlfriend, Reem Amara, since they were first linked in 2019. She's an actress and model who once had a cameo as a nurse in Chicago P.D. At the time, Patrick flagged her guest role when he took to Instagram and wrote: "Does anybody know who played the hot nurse on last night's episode of @nbcchicagopd? I need to know. Cause I’m pretty sure I need to take her out on a date."
