‘Blue Bloods’ Fans Continue to Miss Jennifer Esposito Following Controversial Exit

Blue Bloods fans are still missing former series star Jennifer Esposito following her controversial exit in the early seasons. Esposito had portrayed Det. Jackie Curatola from 2010 to 2012, though she was ultimately fired from the police procedural, sparking a tense debate between Esposito and CBS. Now, more than seven years since her exit, fans are still holding out hope that she will return.

“Please bring Jennifer Esposito back!!” one fan wrote this past summer.

“I wish [Blue Bloods] would bring back Jennifer Esposito,” commented another.

“unpopular opinion: jennifer esposito needs to go back to [Blue Bloods] because I MISS JACKIE CURATOLA,” tweeted a third.

“i miss jennifer esposito on blue bloods,” another fan shared.

After starring on the popular police procedural for three seasons, Esposito was put on medical leave after she collapsed on set due to her Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder affecting the small intestine. Her temporary departure from the series quickly turned ugly when the actress took to Twitter to blast the network.

“CBS PUT me on unpaid leave an has blocked me from working anywhere else after my doctor said u needed a reduced schedule due to celiac,” she wrote at the time. “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! It’s been almost two months without brining me back to work + keeping Me from working anywhere else!… Absolutely shameful behavior.”

Responding to the allegations, CBS, in a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter, stated their desire for Esposito to return, though they noted that she was working on a very strict schedule due to her health.

“Jennifer has informed us that she is only available to work on a very limited part-time schedule,” the statement read. “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. She is a wonderfully talented actress, and we hope that she will be able to return at some point in the future.”

The battle didn’t stop there, and in November of 2012, Esposito again blasted CBS during an interview with Fox News’ FOX Files.

“So many things of injustice that happen in this business. It’s what you sign up for….This, though, is something that is not about me, I feel,” she said in part, according to E! News. “This is about a disease that people don’t understand. And what went on [here], it makes me sick.”

“Look, they have a job that they need done. I get it,” she added at a alter point. “You don’t think I can do it in the two or three days that I am offering in that…work space of eight days? Then I get it, you have to replace me. But that’s not what happened. What happened was ugliness.”

Since her last appearance on the series, Esposito has gone on to work on numerous other shows, including Mistresses in 2015, The Affair from 2015-2017, NCIS, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and The Boys, among others. She has not returned to Blue Bloods.