Why did Lauren Patten leave Blue Bloods, role of Officer Rachel Witten?
Before we dive TOO deep into this subject at present, we should start by noting that technically, Patten was never a series regular on the CBS show in the first place. She always had the ability to come and go as she saw fit, and that is precisely what seems to be happening with her exit tonight. Witten quitting the force was set up in the premiere and it was paid off tonight, with Frank telling her to meet up with him in a year to indicate if she was still happy with her decision to walk away.
Behind the scenes, it’s easy to understand why this exit is happening at this point. Away from Blue Bloods Patten is a big-time star on Broadway, and she recently won a Tony Award for Jagged Little Pill. Her appearances have been more frequent over the past year in part because the pandemic shut down most of live theater. Yesterday, ironically, was the re-opening of Jagged Little Pill on Broadway, and you can see a post that Lauren made about it on her Instagram HERE.
Ultimately, she’s just going to be SO much busier in the coming months and it would have probably been impossible to balance that gig and Blue Bloods.
Could Witten still return?
Absolutely. Remember that in addition to being Eddie’s partner, she was also her good friend and it seems like Patten and Vanessa Ray are close in real life. We think there’s always a chance, even if she doesn’t turn up in one year’s time.
Are you sad that Lauren Patten is leaving Blue Bloods and the Officer Witten role, at least for the time being?
Be sure to share right now in the comments! Once you do just that, stick around — there are other updates on the way and we don’t want you missing any of those. (Photo: CBS.)
This article was written by Jess Carter.