Jennifer Esposito has been written out of hit CBS police series “Blue Bloods” after drama between the actress and show bosses on the New York set, Page Six has exclusively learned. Sources tell us that Jennifer collapsed on the set in August, complaining that producers were “working her too hard.” Yesterday it spilled into a public war of words between CBS and the actress.
One source said, “She said she was being worked too hard and was escorted to her trailer and filming was halted. The crew was forced to come back to finish the scene on a Saturday a few weeks later, and that was when Jennifer discovered from the script they were writing her off the show.”
The actress, who plays Detective Jackie Curatola, took to Twitter yesterday to slam CBS, arguing that she suffers from celiac disease and CBS dropped her after she collapsed due to the condition.
She wrote, “CBS. . . PUT me on unpaid leave and 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. Which everyone saw! After a week off my doc said I could return to work but CBS implied that I was NOT truly ill and this was a scheme to get a raise!”
“Jennifer has informed us that she is only available to work on a very limited part-time schedule,” CBS TV Studios said in a statement. “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 . . . We hope that she will be able to return at some point in the future.”
Esposito’s final “Blue Bloods” episode will air Nov. 2.
Her lawyer William J. Briggs, II said: “The only drama on the set of ‘Blue Bloods’ in August was that captured on film for the series. The suggestion that Ms. Esposito created a scene and was escorted to her trailer is a vicious falsehood. Ms. Esposito had a medical emergency on the set caused by her celiac disease . . . Jennifer and her doctor requested she be allowed to work on a reduced schedule. CBS has refused to accommodate this request, has replaced her character on the series, but will not let her out of her contract, or permit her to work on any other production.”