"Jennifer Esposito" claims celiac disease got her axed 'Blue Bloods':

One of the lead actors on the drama Blue Bloods, Jennifer Esposito, is taking to Twitter to air her grievances claiming she was written out of the show due to a medical condition. The feud between Esposito, who plays Detective Jackie Curatola, and played out in the court of public opinion on Saturday when Esposito started accusing the network of axing her because she has celiac disease.


According to the New York Post, Esposito collapsed in August while filming a scene for Blue Bloods. The scene had to be re-shot, and other actors and crew members were allegedly forced to come in on a Saturday to finish the scene. The Post claimed an unnamed source told them that Esposito cited long working hours for the reason she collapsed, an allegation Esposito denies. Later, the actress claimed her doctor had ordered a reduced working schedule to accommodate her celiac disease.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information describes celiac disease as "a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy. The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats."

They go on to say that it is extremely rare to experience long term damage of the intestines if a gluten-free (or wheat-free) diet is followed.

Now Esposito claims she is being discriminated against and written out of the show without a valid reason.

Esposito tweeted on Saturday," put me on unpaid leave and has blocked me from working anywhere else after my doc said I needed a reduced schedule due to celiac."

Follow up tweets said:

" 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  implied that I was NOT truly ill and this was a scheme to get a raise! It's been almost two months without bringing me back to work and keeping me from working anywhere else! So no, that article is not telling you the truth. Absolutely shameful behavior."

responded in a statement, saying, "Jennifer has informed us that she is only available to work on a very limited part-time schedule. 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 has hired a lawyer, claiming that has refused to accommodate her medical condition. Her lawyer, William J. Birggs II, claims replaced her character while refusing to allow her to seek other work. Briggs says that still refuses to let Esposito out of her contract, and that the network can't have it both ways.

Meanwhile, Esposito is using social media to drum up support and attention for celiac disease and her physical limitations.