Why did Linda Reagan leave Blue Bloods? her character’s tragic off-screen death was met with outcry.
When Linda Reagan left Blue Bloods in 2017, her character’s tragic off-screen death was met with outcry. Everyone wonders: Why did Linda Reagan leave Blue Bloods? Keep reading to find out what happened to Amy Carlson and whether she made the choice to leave the CBS series.
Blue Bloods is CBS’ long-running police procedural that follows the fictional Reagan family who have a long history with law enforcement. The TV series premiered in September 2020 and is currently in its 13th season (TV Insider reported in March 2023 that it was renewed for Season 14). The show stars Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Will Estes, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Abigail Hawk, Vanessa Ray, and more.
Amy Carlson played Linda Reagan from the first season in 2010 until her character’s death in 2017. Linda is the wife of Detective Daniel “Danny” Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) and the mother of Jack and Sean Reagan. Her father-in-law, Frank Reagan, was a New York City police commissioner, and his family had a place in the criminal justice system. Reagan worked as an emergency room nurse at St. Victor in NYC, but tragically died in an off-screen helicopter crash in Season 7.
So why did Linda Reagan leave the Blue Bloods after seven years? We’ve got the answer below — let’s see how the actress reacts when she’s off-screen and what she’ll do differently to end her character’s story.
Why did Linda Reagan leave Blue Bloods?
Why did Linda Reagan leave Blue Bloods? Amy Carlson decided not to renew her 7-year contract that ended at the end of Season 7. She didn’t give a specific reason for leaving at the time, but the actress expressed her gratitude to fans. her grave and character in an Instagram Post on September 29, 2017.
“My heart is filled with gratitude to each of you for your generous support of me and my character over the past seven years of Blue Bloods. I have been touched by your compassion and enthusiasm. I love playing Linda: Danny’s wife, Jack and Sean’s mom, nurse and working mom,” she wrote in the caption. “I am proud of my contribution in building this series. I am so grateful to CBS, the cast and crew of Blue Bloods. Above all, I am grateful to the fans who have supported me and the show.”
After Carlson left Blue Bloods, the actress spoke to Deadline in November 2017 about her departure. When asked what she misses most about playing Linda, she paid tribute to her former co-star and on-screen husband, Donnie Wahlberg.
“What I miss most is working with Donnie, and Donnie has been a dream since I left. He said something really sweet about me on Andy Cohen Live the other day, and on the first night of the show that aired this season, he said something about tears. his because he missed me and lost the opportunity to work with me. costar. He was so generous and sweet,” she explained in the interview. “I can only shed tears right now thinking about how sweet he is. I miss working with Donnie. I remember doing those scenes with him. We had a lot of fun. We put a lot of effort into those scenes and we’re both extremely committed to getting those characters right.”
How was Linda Reagan removed from the Blue Bloods?
How was Linda Reagan removed from the Blue Bloods? Linda Reagan was dropped from the show between Season 7 and off-screen Season 8 in a helicopter crash. During the Season 8 premiere in September 2017, it was revealed during Danny’s therapy that Linda was no longer alive. “Linda’s death was not my fault. She’s doing her job [as a nurse]. She died doing what she loved,” Danny’s therapist said in the episode. “She died in a helicopter crash while transporting her patients.” In Season 9, the possibility was raised that the medevac crash that Linda was involved in could have been orchestrated by Mexican gang member Louis Delgado (Lou Diamond Phillips) aka The Panther.
Carlson revealed to Deadline that she had no idea her character would be wiped out that way. “I feel bad that she died the way she died. I didn’t know they would do it, I was surprised. I will not do that.” When asked how she was able to get rid of her character, she said: “I can portray death. I guess it would be great if fans witnessed her death, got to participate in it, and that’s my vote for the fans. I’m not sure how I’m going to choose it but I just know that for the fans to have a way to grieve, to get over it, I think it’ll be good for them. That’s what I always hear from them, ‘we really want you back’, and I think, that’s not possible. But they also said that we wish we could mourn the character.”
The actress added that she was surprised but also honored by the massive fan reaction to her character’s death. “I was surprised, but I was also honored that all these fans have connected so much with that character. It surprised me, but it really touched my heart that they care about Linda so much and she means so much to so many people, I don’t know, I can’t even speak for it. you know how many messages I get every day about her and the character,” she said in the interview. “They are so sweet, they all wish me success in future projects, they are all hugely supportive fans of me, and that is just lovely.”
For instance, when asked if she’ll ever return to Blue Bloods to do a flashback, Carlson said she’s open to the opportunity. “I never wanted it to end that way, so I feel sad for the fans because everyone wants it to end, and I’ve heard that a lot from the fans. So of course I’ll be open to that. Sure.”