CBS has made the decision to officially cut Jennifer Esposito from all future episodes of Blue Bloods. Earlier this year, Esposito was having trouble keeping up at work due to her issues with Celiac Disease and, thus, asked for a lighter work schedule. However, because her character was pretty important in the series, the network determined it would be better for Esposito to take some time off, which would, theoretically, have helped the actress to get some much needed rest, as well as maintain the integrity of her character's storyline should Esposito have chosen to come back in a full-time capacity next season. According to the network, Esposito's character could not be put on a limited schedule and still work within the context of the series. However, the actress did not take this very well.
An angry Esposito began Twitter tirades and other complaints, alleging CBS was keeping her under contract while not allowing her to work elsewhere. While those complaints were lodged all the way back in October, it took CBS months to determine exactly what they should do with the actress, who played Jacki Curatola until an early November episode. The results aren’t particularly surprising. According to TV Line, now the network has finalized its decision to officially cut Esposito from the show moving forward.
It’s not as if Blue Bloods has been doing poorly without the actress. In fact, the show has implemented two recurring characters to fill her niche on the show. We’ll have to wait and see if Blue Bloods gets a fourth season on the network, but if it does, I’m guessing everyone will be pretty happy to leave this controversy behind them.
