Actress’s Battle with CBS over Celiac Disease

Jennifer Esposito, a star of the hit TV series Blue Bloods, is in the midst of her own drama with employer CBS – and at the center of the dispute is her continuing struggle to control celiac disease.

CBS has put the actress and her character detective Jackie Curatola on a leave of absence. In a statement to the TV website Deadline.com, CBS Studios said:  “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.”

Esposito took to Twitter on October 20, to accuse the network of “shameful behavior”, saying that: “CBS put me on unpaid leave and has blocked me from working anywhere else after my doc said ‘you needed a reduced schedule due to celiac’. CBS didn’t listen to my doc and I collapsed on set. Which everyone saw!”

She further says that once she was cleared to return to work, “CBS implied that I was not truly ill and this was a scheme to get a raise!”

Esposito has been a vocal advocate of celiac disease awareness, speaking out about the many years it took her to get diagnosed and the struggles she had faced before going gluten-free with extreme fatigue, gastrointestinal distress and hair loss.

In reply to some critical comments on one article about the dispute with CBS, Esposito elaborated on her current celiac-related health issues: “I can work on a limited schedule due to the vitamin IVs I need three times a week because I don’t absorb [nutrients and], due to the exhaustion from that as well.”

Esposito blogs at the site Jennifersway.org, where she shares advice and recipes.

Comment on CBS’s actions here.
View Esposito’s documentary on life with celiac here.