For 14 seasons, the Reagan family patrolled the streets of Blue Bloods‘ New York City, accruing its share of fallen soldiers along the way.
From detectives leaving the line of duty to family members meeting their untimely demise, the CBS series said goodbye to several fan-favorite characters throughout its 14-year run.
Below, we look back at six of the most memorable cast departures — why the actors left, and what they’ve been up to since leaving the Reagan family’s bubble.
Bruce Altman as Robert Levitt (seasons 1, 3)
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Bruce Altman appeared early in Blue Bloods as Mayor Robert Levitt, a recurring character in season 1. After losing the 2011 election, he resurfaced in season 3’s “Men in Black” after his daughter is arrested.
Altman doesn’t appear to have addressed his exit from the show, but he’s kept busy across TV and film in the years since. He appeared on Mr. Robot (2015–2017) as a disgraced tech CTO and later played philosophy professor Oliver Simmons on Power Book II: Ghost (2020–2024).
Moviegoers might also recognize him as Jerry Roach, the publishing executive from the final two Fifty Shades films (2017–2018).
Jennifer Esposito as Jackie Curatola (seasons 1–3)
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During Blue Bloods‘s first three seasons, Jennifer Esposito costarred as Detective Jackie Curatola, the trusted partner of Donnie Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan. Esposito’s Jackie left the show halfway through season 3.
As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Esposito needed a lighter workload after being diagnosed with celiac disease, and her character was subsequently written out in 2012.
The actress took to X at the time. “CBS didn’t listen to my doc and I collapsed on set. Which everyone saw!” she alleged. “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!” She also claimed that the network put her on unpaid leave and prevented her from taking other work.
After leaving Blue Bloods, Esposito starred on NCIS (2016–2017), and The Boys (2019–2020). She also made her directorial debut with the drama Fresh Kills (2023).
Despite the bad blood, Esposito eventually returned to Blue Bloods as a guest star in the final two seasons.
Nicholas Turturro as Anthony Renzulli (seasons 1–6)
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Emmy nominee Nicholas Turturro, the younger brother of John Turturro, played Sergeant Anthony Renzulli for the first six seasons of Blue Bloods, serving as a mentor to Jamie Reagan (Will Estes) during his early years on the force.
But after a brief appearance in season 6, Renzulli abruptly vanished from the show, with no official explanation from CBS or the actor himself.
Turturro wasn’t shy about wanting more screen time. In 2013, he urged fans on X to “write to CBS and Blue Bloods that we need more Renzulli.” He even floated the idea of a Renzulli spinoff series, but that never came to fruition.
After exiting the show, Turturro landed roles on Law & Order: SVU (2019–2020), as well as The Family Business (2018–2020) and its 2025 spinoff. He’s also racked up dozens of film credits, including the Spike Lee joints BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Highest 2 Lowest (2025).
Amy Carlson as Linda Reagan (seasons 1–7)
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Amy Carlson was integral to Blue Bloods for its first seven seasons as Linda Reagan, an ER nurse and wife to Danny. Though she weathered more than a few brushes with death throughout her run, she met her demise in an offscreen helicopter crash between seasons 7 and 8.
In November 2017, Carlson confirmed it was her decision to leave Blue Bloods, but expressed a bit of shock over how Linda died. “I feel badly that she dies the way she dies,” she said. “I did not know they would do that, I was surprised. I wouldn’t have done that.”
When asked how she would have preferred to say goodbye, Carlson expressed regret that viewers never got to witness Linda’s final moments. “It would’ve been nice for the fans… to be a participant in it,” she explained. “I’m not sure how I would’ve chosen it but I just know that for the fans to have a way to grieve, to move through it, I think it would’ve been nice for them.”
In May 2018, showrunner Kevin Wade opened up to EW about Carlson’s exit. “Amy’s departure wasn’t planned,” he said. “We were catching up after the fact, after the actress decided not to return to the show. It was an offering out of very limited choices, the way that we handled her departure. We then had really 22 episodes to deal with the impact of the death of that character on the life of her surviving husband and kids, which I like to think we did somewhat successfully and paid respect to her character.”
Since her departure, Carlson has landed recurring roles on Netflix’s short-lived The Society (2019) and the CBS procedural FBI: Most Wanted (2020). Most recently, she played police captain Emily Pearson on the Apple TV+ miniseries Smoke (2025).
Sami Gayle as Nicky Reagan-Boyle (seasons 1–10)
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For 10 seasons, Sami Gayle starred as Nicky Reagan-Boyle, the daughter of Bridget Moynahan’s Erin.
Gayle’s Nicky started as a recurring presence, but grew into a major player as her character got older. Gayle left Blue Bloods shortly into season 10 to focus on her studies at Columbia University, but ended up returning for a handful of guest spots.
Gayle’s appeared in several films, including Vampire Academy (2014), Noah (2014), and the Netflix romcom Candy Jar (2018). In 2023, she originated the role of Adele in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Bad Cinderella.
David Ramsey as Carter Poole (seasons 2–7)
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David Ramsey joined Blue Bloods in season 2 as Mayor Carter Poole, who held office even after an assassination attempt left him paralyzed from the waist down. Poole stuck around until season 7, when his character resigns from office.
Ramsey went on to star as John Diggle on Arrowverse shows like Arrow (2012–2020), The Flash (2014–2023), and Legends of Tomorrow (2016–2020). Most recently, he appeared on Netflix’s The Hunting Party (2025).
