There have been plenty of cop shows, but “Blue Bloods” put their unique spin on a classic police procedural. With a cast that includes Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, and Will Estes, it’s no wonder the show became successful, landing “Friday’s #1 primetime program and the #3 broadcast drama on television,” as touted by CBS. The series has been on air for over ten years, and throughout each season, fans have witnessed some of their favorite actors come and go. But for those who have left the show, where have they gone?
A TV show’s fate often hangs on its cast, and let’s just say “Blue Bloods” hit the jackpot. Selleck even gushed about his coworkers in 2020 to Parade, sharing, “We have a family of actors that actually like each other, as well as a family of characters. I love these people. They’re all terrific actors and they’re all good people.” But while they may be family, not every cast member on “Blue Bloods” sticks around for the long haul
While they may be family, not every cast member on “Blue Bloods” sticks around for the long haul. Some were killed off, some were ready to move on to a new project, and some may have gotten fired. Whatever the reason behind their departure was, it has still left many fans wondering what the actors who have left the show have been up to since.
Marlene Lawston left acting for a medical profession
Many of you die-hard “Blue Bloods” fans might not even remember the name Marlene Lawston. Lawston appeared on the first episode of the police drama in 2010 and never returned. She starred as 12-year-old Nicky Reagan-Boyle, daughter to Erin Reagan-Boyle and Jack Boyle. Lawston was replaced by Sami Gayle after leaving the show once the pilot episode aired. Since her departure from “Blue Bloods,” she hasn’t racked up any acting credits, which is a bit odd given her acting career began prior to the police drama. She starred in “Dan in Real Life” in 2007 and “Blue’s Clues” in 2003. But it’s been over ten years since she was on television, so what has she been up to since?
Lawston has given up the limelight to achieve a medical passion. According to her LinkedIn, she attended New York’s prestigious Colgate University and graduated with a B.A. in Molecular Biology in 2020. She currently attends the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry as part of a medical scientist training program and is expected to graduate in 2028. In addition, she goes to school at the University of Oxford to further her studies in medicine, and her graduation date is listed as 2026. So, what happened to Lawston? She dropped all the glitz and glam of fame to pursue a completely different passion.
Sami Gayle went back to school
Sami Gayle replaced Marlene Lawston as Nicky Reagan-Boyle in the first season of “Blue Bloods.” After a couple of episodes of the show, Gayle stepped in as a much more mature Nicky. She started with brief appearances on the show and, over time, rose through the ranks to become one of the main cast members. However, Season 10 would be one of the last times “Blue Bloods” fans would see Gayle as a regular on the series. In the show, Gayle’s character, Nicky, left to attend Columbia University. Interestingly, the actor’s real reason for leaving the show isn’t too far off from this storyline.
Like her character Nicky, she traded the set for school, and not just any school — she aimed high and landed at Columbia University. It looks like the writers may have been inspired by Gayle’s real life and mimicked it when she left the show. Since leaving the “Blue Bloods,” Gayle has been busy with school but did appear in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway show, “Bad Cinderella.” She has also made several appearances on “Blue Bloods” since her exit, once in Season 11 and again in Season 13. Since Gayle hasn’t said goodbye to the police drama series entirely, many are hopeful that she might make an appearance in its final season come fall of 2024.
Amy Carlson didn’t like the way she was written off
Many “Blue Bloods” fans thought Amy Carlson was here to stay. Carlson played Linda Reagan — Danny Reagan’s wife — since the show’s debut. From then on, she starred in nearly every episode of the police procedural, but she was noticeably absent from Season 8. Fans were shocked to discover that her character had suddenly died in a helicopter crash, and it turns out viewers weren’t the only ones left surprised. Carlson told Deadline she was taken aback by the way that the show wrote her character off. She said, “I feel badly that she dies the way she dies. I did not know they would do that, I was surprised. I wouldn’t have done that.” Carlson’s contract ended after the seventh, and the actor chose not to renew.
Despite leaving “Blue Bloods” in 2017, she hasn’t slowed down her career. Carlson starred in several projects after “Blue Bloods,” including “The Society” in 2019 and “Know Fear” in 2021. Since her last project in 2021, Carlson has been spending time with her family. On January 1, 2024, the actor revealed on Instagram that she rang in the new year with her kids. She wrote, “HNY. 2024. Enters with a bang — or was that the door slamming on 2023?” Carlson definitely shut the door on “Blue Bloods” and is slowly moving on with her life.
Did Nick Turtorro want to leave Blue Bloods?
Nicholas Turturro made regular appearances in “Blue Bloods” up until Season 6, starring as Sergeant Anthony Renzulli. From 2010 to 2016, the actor would occasionally pop up to help the Reagan family in difficult situations. But come Season 6, and Turturro’s character suddenly disappeared. His departure seemed strange because Turturro appeared to enjoy his time on the show. In 2013, he even suggested a spin-off for his character on X, formerly known as Twitter. He wrote, “Write to cbs and ‘blue bloods’ that we need more renzulli maybe he needs a spinoff wouldn’t that be a great idea.” Fans were nodding along with the actor in the comments, but little did they know, just three short years later, it’d be his final curtain call on “Blue Bloods.”
After his sudden disappearance, neither Turturro nor “Blue Bloods” has revealed why he stopped acting on the show, although there were rumors he was difficult to work with, according to One Chicago Center. Still, his abrupt exit from “Blue Bloods” didn’t stop him from finding more work. According to IMDb, Turturro has landed nearly 30 gigs since his abrupt (and mysterious) departure, including films like “BlacKkKlansman” and even appeared in a similar show to “Blue Bloods,” the NBC hit “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
Jennifer Esposito’s messy exit and return to Blue Bloods
Jennifer Esposito became a familiar face on “Blue Bloods” after playing Detective Jackie Curatola from the first to the third season. However, Esposito did not return for Season 4 — and her exit was filled with drama. In 2012, the network released a statement to The Hollywood Reporter regarding Esposito’s departure. They shared, “Jennifer has informed us that she is only available to work on a limited part-time schedule. As a result, she’s unable to perform the demands of her role, and we regretfully had to put her character on a leave of absence.” However, Esposito had a different side of the story.
Esposito shared in a since-deleted tweet on X, “CBS knows PUT me on unpaid leave an has blocked me from working anywhere else after my doc said u needed a reduced schedule due to celiac …CBS didn’t listen to my doc and I collapsed on set.” Esposito claimed the network “implied” that she was not truly suffering from the disease and only wanted to get a raise. The actor’s public outrage made it clear that her relationship with the show and network had soured.
After “Blue Bloods,” she continued acting and starred in gigs like “Fresh Kills” and “NCIS.” While “Blue Bloods” fans may have thought they would never see Esposito on the show again, they were proved wrong. The actor delivered a surprise twist by popping up in the final episode of “Blue Bloods” season 14.