Donnie Wahlberg Opens Up About Amy Carlson’s You Won’t Believe He Just Said
Blue Bloods star Donnie Wahlberg opened up about what the show has been like since his on-screen wife, Amy Carlson, left the show.
The actor said he’s had to “make adjustments” now that she’s gone.
He also revealed if his character, Danny Reagan, will start dating.
Blue Bloods fans were understandably devastated when the show revealed Linda Reagan (Amy Carlson) had tragically perished in a helicopter crash. In fact, they were so upset that they flooded the cast with heated responses.
“We got more hate mail than John Wayne Gacy,” Donnie Wahlberg, who plays Linda’s husband, Danny Reagan, told Parade. “They were heartbroken, and nobody more than me.”
Amy’s exit caused a major void on the series, one that Donnie is still coping with today. “Amy was my right hand on the show for seven years,” he said. “We really were being like parents to the kids on set, and so when she was gone, I had to adjust to that.”
He continued, “Of course I’m an actor, and I’m a grownup, and I’m a parent myself in real life, so it wasn’t like a real-life tragedy. But as an actor and as professional, I had to make adjustments to what I did.”
Now that it’s been nearly two years since Linda’s passing, though, viewers are starting to wonder when Danny will bring someone new to the Reagan family dinners. Donnie definitely isn’t ruling out a future romance for his character, but he insisted it has to be with the “right person.”
“I think the door’s open for Danny to move forward, and I definitely don’t want to rush personally,” he said. “I don’t want to skip over the healing process, and I don’t think the audience should either. I think it would be a disservice to them for Danny to just show up in a nightclub with a new girl or show up at the house.”
Danny definitely won’t be following in his younger brother’s footsteps and walking down the aisle anytime soon, but the possibility is there for the investigator to enter the dating scene. Maybe with his partner, Baez, perhaps? 🤔🤔🤔
“Blue Bloods” star Donnie Wahlberg’s character was forced into widowhood after the show’s writers booted his onscreen bride, Amy Carlson, from the show in 2017 following a seven-season run with the police procedural. Carlson spoke with Deadline and shared her displeasure with the way the higher-ups killed her character, Linda Reagan, in a helicopter crash. She also name-dropped Wahlberg, who played Danny Reagan, during the piece. “What I miss most is working with Donnie, and Donnie has been a dream since I left,” said Carlson. “He said something really sweet about me on the ‘Andy Cohen Live’ show the other day, and even the very first night that the series aired this season, he said something about his tears were for missing me and for loss of working with me as an acting partner.”
It’s true — Wahlberg had nothing but kind words for Carlson on “Watch What Happens Live” while discussing her exit. “She loved working [with me], I loved working with her,” Wahlberg told host Andy Cohen. “We were really, really good friends. We had a great working relationship.” As for his thoughts on her exit, he said: “I think the show needed to move in a different direction. I think she needed to move in a different direction.” He continued, “I think in truth, sometimes being like the wife of the guy, sometimes it doesn’t utilize all her talents, as much as I miss her. I know she’ll find something great to do next.” It’s clear that Wahlberg and Carlson shared a fond affection for each other, but are they still close today?
How close are Amy Carlson and Donnie Wahlberg?
It’s been a few years since fans have gotten an update regarding Donnie Wahlberg and Amy Carlson’s relationship. The last update came in 2020. On the upside, Wahlberg did seem just as (platonically) enamored with Carlson as before. During an interview with Country Living, Wahlberg revealed whether or not he and Carlson were on speaking terms. “I reach out to her and we stay in touch,” shared Wahlberg with the publication. “Trust me, Danny Reagan is still upset and Donnie Wahlberg misses her tremendously.” Wahlberg also revealed that he’d continued to miss her as a friend and a co-star. Furthermore, Wahlberg also drummed up a scenario in which Carlson could return. “Maybe we do a dream episode where Danny dreams she’s back, I don’t know,” he said.
However, whether or not Carlson would be open to returning is another story. Fortunately, Carlson wasn’t closed off to the idea in 2017. “Yeah, I think it’s been hard on the fans,” Carlson said about possibly returning to the series to Deadline. “I never wanted it to end that way, so I feel sad for the fans because everyone wants closure, and I hear that a lot from the fans. So of course I’d be open to that. Sure.” That said, a lot can change in seven years, so it’d be interesting to see if Carlson still feels that way today. After all, “Blue Bloods” is set to end with Season 14 in the fall of 2024, so she’d have to decide sooner rather than later.
Donnie Wahlberg struggled after Amy Carlson left Blue Bloods
Donnie Wahlberg and Amy Carlson’s mutual admiration has been clear for several years. In October 2017, Wahlberg sat on the PaleyFest panel with his “Blue Bloods” castmates and revealed that he’d had difficulty adjusting to Amy Carlson’s absence. “Rather than try to act or find something to do, I just thought about my friend Amy Carlson,” said Wahlberg about portraying a widowed man (via Entertainment Weekly). “I thought about all the years together and all the highs and lows and the ups and downs and the journey. Any tears I shed in that scene was really Donnie shedding them for Amy… She’s a dear friend. I cherish our friendship.”
Two years later, Wahlberg sat down with Parade and discussed the lingering impact of Carlson’s departure on fans and himself. “They’re loyal and dedicated fans, and I don’t want to do a disservice to them and their loyalty throughout the years,” Wahlberg said about the possibility of his character moving on romantically. “It’s bad enough that Linda is gone. They were heartbroken, and nobody more than me.” Wahlberg also revealed that Carlson was his “right hand” on the show during her run. “If I had a scene where we had to put the backpacks on the kids, she was co-parenting with me. She was putting the backpack on one of the kids while I did the other one. We really were being like parents to the kids on set, and so when she was gone, I had to adjust to that.”
