Jennifer Esposito Slams CBS (Again) Over “Blue Bloods” Suspension

Actress elaborates about her dismay over CBS' decision to place her on medical leave due to her complications with Celiac disease.

Jennifer Esposito is "sick" over CBS' decision to put her on medical leave from "Blue Bloods," after her doctor advised her to take on a lesser workload to help her cope with her Celiac disease.

After calling CBS "shameful" back in October in a Twitter tirade when the network announced Esposito would be taking a leave of absence from the cop drama, Esposito has popped up again, speaking out for the first time since the incident occurred.

Jennifer Esposito's Blue Bloods leave may be permanent after she slams "Shameful" CBS

In an interview set to air tonight on Fox News' FOX Files, the actress says CBS kept her on contract and suspended her without pay, rather than accommodating her request to work fewer days a week due to her illness, according to TV Line.

"So many things of injustice that happen in this business. It's what you sign up for....This, though, is something that is not about me, I feel," Esposito tells FOX Files. "This is about a disease that people don't understand. And what went on [here], it makes me sick."

Esposito also describes an incident in which she collapsed on set twice. "The [assistant director] came in and said, 'I'll get the medic,' and we were like, 'There is nothing [the medic can do], unless he can cure me of Celiac disease. This is what we've been trying to tell you.' They had to carry me into the car and bring me to the doctor, where I [was] for seven hours."

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"Look, they have a job that they need done. I get it," Esposito says during the interview. "You don't think I can do it in the two or three days that I am offering in that...work space of eight days? Then I get it, you have to replace me. But that's not what happened. What happened was ugliness."

The actress says CBS' suspension terms prevent her from seeking employment on another network TV show, but she is free to pursue film or stage work and appear on a cable series that doesn't air in the same time slot as "Blue Bloods."

While CBS hasn't commented recently about Esposito's claims, in a statement in October the network told E! News, "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. She is a wonderfully talented actress and we hope that she will be able to return at some point in the future."

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