As Tom Selleck prepares to say goodbye to Blue Bloods, the actor has been looking back on his long career, which spans several decades. One portion of his work that he’s really been reflecting on is his breakout (and Emmy-winning) role as Thomas Magnum in the original Magnum P.I. Thanks to his expanded fame as a result of the show, Selleck ultimately received much media attention and became the subject of rumors. And there was one piece of gossip that was apparently “bruising” for the actor.
Because celebrities are in the spotlight, that means they’re prone to having their names come up in the rumor mill. That can either be good or bad for one’s image or even both, depending on what the speculation is about. After Tom Selleck signed on to Magnum (despite the “horrible” pilot script), he and his ex-wife, former actress and model Jacqueline Ray, became the subject of a serious rumor involving their marriage. Selleck told The Telegraph what really happened and what it meant for his reputation:
I have never been totally comfortable with the expression ‘it goes with the territory’ – people who say that have probably never been in the territory. But I had to find a way to keep at least some part of me private. ‘Jacki got the rough end of it. They said I left her because of Magnum, well we split up about a year before the pilot, so all those things were a little bruising.’
I’d imagine that as a star, it’s hard keeping your personal life private, given you’re in the public eye. And, unfortunately, whether or not the Friends alum likes the term, it does “come with the territory.” Of course, that doesn’t mean that rumors like the one he mentioned or others are fair, especially since it sounds like it was doing some damage to his mental health on top of the divorce. He and his former spouse were married for over 10 years, so one would think that that situation alone wasn’t easy.
Luckily, it seems like Tom Selleck has managed to keep most of his personal life private over the years, and it might help that his ranch serves as a little getaway from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood. Selleck still deals with rumors from time to time, of course, such as whether he’d be retiring after Blue Bloods or reports that his ranch needed to be sold after his time working on the aforementioned show ended.
Aside from the rumors that cropped up as a result of Magnum P.I., the series still marks a time in its leading man’s life that he looks back fondly on. Before he landed his long-running CBS family drama (which ends later this year), even the Jesse Stone star thought Magnum was the lucky part of his career. The vintage detective show may have come with some unwanted side effects, but it seems like the man who played the eponymous role has done well for himself since.
Right now, Tom Selleck has no interest in retiring after Blue Bloods ends its run on 2024 TV schedule and is even holding out hope that the will still be saved from cancellation. That aside, hopefully, he’ll able to find a little bit more private time with his family as time goes on. Many celebrities are leaving Hollywood these days for simpler surroundings and if Selleck keeps his ranch, that could be the perfect spot for him to relax and try to keep out of the limelight.