Born in New York on April 11, 1973, to an interior designer, Phyllis and her music producer husband, Robert Esposito, Hollywood actress Jennifer Esposito chose a path quite early in her life. A graduate of Moore Catholic High School in Staten Island, New York, the beautiful Italian-born woman decided to pursue a career in acting and for the past two decades has remained true to her beliefs and to his dreams.
Esposito has been in Hollywood since 1996 and since those years, she has graced our screen not only with her stunning beauty, but also with her remarkable roles and performances, which have gotten better with each screen appearance. Jennifer Esposito starred in more than fifty films and television series, including some feature films, between 1996 and 2018. Summer of Sam, welcome to Collinwood, don’t say a word, don’t say a word to yourself, a brother’s kiss, a only time, the bachelor, the proposal, a taxi, the conspiracy, she is funny like that, bends the rules, among others
The actress has also appeared in several notable television series, such as Spin City, Samantha Who? Related, Mistresses, The City, Law & Order, Rescue Me, Mercy and many more. In 2010, Jennifer began playing Detective Jackie Curatola on CBS series. Blue bloods but quit in 2012 and also in 2016 she started playing special agent Alexandra Quinn on another CBS series NCIS and also quit after one season these left people wondering why the beautiful actress had to leave in the middle of two major series from the same network. Here are the real reasons Jennifer Esposito left NCIS and Blue Bloods.
Why did Jennifer Esposito leave NCIS and Blue Bloods?
When Esposito left Blue Bloods police proceedings in 2012, CBS told fans that the actress informed the network that she will only be available to work a very limited part-time schedule and that because of this, she is unable to fulfill the demands of her role, and as a result, they had to put her character on leave of absence.
Now that was their side of the story, the actress would later tell her side of the story via Twitter, Esposito blamed and accused the network of putting her on unpaid leave and preventing her from work elsewhere. According to her, she had battled celiac disease and collapsed on set. Her doctor said she ‘needed a reduced schedule’ due to her condition, but the network didn’t listen to her doctor and instead hinted that she wasn’t really sick but that she was had acted to obtain a salary increase.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease caused by a reaction to wheat proteins. It affects the small intestine and its symptoms include fatigue and sufferers should adopt a gluten-free diet. Additionally, in 2013, Jennifer Esposito launched a bakery in Manhattan’s West Village, Jennifer’s Way, which serves only celiac-safe foods. She also started the Jennifer’s Way Foundation for Celiac Education with a mission to bring this debilitating autoimmune disease to the fore. In 2015, she became a brand ambassador for Eclair Naturals, a line of gluten-free, non-GMO and vegan body and skin care products available at all Rite Aid stores nationwide.
The following year (2016), she joined the cast of NCIS as Special Agent Alexandra “Alex” Quinn, but left after twenty-four episodes. This time her reason for leaving the show was different, she was just looking for different career opportunities. Speaking to Deadline about her departure, Esposito said she couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity than working with the cast and producers of NCIS.
Where is she now?
She may not be in NCIS anymore, but the actress is certainly not out of the acting profession. Shortly after leaving NCIS, Jennifer landed a co-starring role in the feature film Speed Kills. It was announced in 2018 that she would be joining The Boys in its first season on air. The Boys is a superhero drama web television series that is based on the comic book of the same name.
Other facts about the actress
- Esposito was married to American actor Bradley Cooper from December 2006 until November the following year. The couple filed for divorce in May and finalized it in November.
- In 2009, she got engaged to Mark Philippoussis, an Australian tennis player, but didn’t end up getting married as they separated the following year.
- In May 2014, the actress got engaged to Louis Dowler (British model) and they got married six months later.
- The actress stands at a height of 1.68m or 5ft 5in with a body measurement of 34-24-35in / 86-61-89cm for bust, waist and hips respectively.
- Early in her acting career, she worked as a waitress and exercise instructor while pursuing her acting career.
- She won the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Motion Picture Cast in 2005 and the Critics’ Choice Awards – Best Acting Ensemble in 2006.
- The actress reportedly has a net worth of $4 million.