Blue Bloods star Tom Selleck is reportedly facing a serious medical issue. What is going on with Tom Selleck’s health? Here’s everything that we know.
A new report from RadarOnline.com alleges that the 78-year-actor has been battling a medical crisis and is “riddled with pain so severe” that he is forced to use a stunt double on the show to film ordinary scenes, such as getting out of his police car. A stunt double is typically used whenever a script calls for something an actor is unable or unwilling to do, like dangerous stunts, when an actor is missing a skill and more.
A source told the outlet that “Tom’s in a lot of pain and agony,” and he is still showing up to work despite “the constant torment of arthritis.” The source praised the actor for working through the pain, but notes that the illness is “obviously affecting him.”
“He’s been to doctors and has learned techniques to alleviate the pain, but it’s a disease that isn’t going to go away,” the source added. “He’s learning to adjust to it as best as he can.”
In response, Selleck’s rep told RadarOnline.com that Selleck is “fit and vigorous” and denied the report that he is in “constant pain.”
Insiders also told the site that traveling from his ranch in Ventura County, Calif. to New York City, where Blue Bloods is filmed, has allegedly taken a toll on Selleck. They added that the star would much rather be spending more time with his family. Selleck is currently married to British actress Jillie Mack and they have one daughter, Hannah Selleck (age 34). The actor also has an adopted son named Kevin Selleck (age 57), who is his ex-wife Jacqueline Mary Ray’s son from a previous relationship.
For more than 10 years, Selleck has portrayed Frank Reagan, the New York City police commissioner and patriarch of the Reagan family, on Blue Bloods. Selleck has starred on the show since the pilot episode. The CBS crime drama premiered in September 2010 and wrapped up its 13th season in May 2023. The show will return for a 14th Season in the fall 2023 or later (the exact date is up in the air because of the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes).
The famed actor opened up to TV Insider in March 2022 about the success of Blue Bloods and how it felt reaching Episode 250 in 2022. “I never thought I’d be lucky enough to do a show that had that long a run. Maybe Magnum, P.I. could have reached that number because nobody wanted to cancel it. I was the guy causing the divorce. I’d done the number one movie [Three Men and a Baby] in the U.S. and I wanted to have a family,” he explained in the interview. “The number of series that have done as many episodes as Blue Bloods is a tiny, tiny percentage. This is a validation that we’re all fighting the good fight. All the actors are very committed to the work. So, it’s a number that gives reward for the professionalism of this entire cast.”
Selleck is also best known for his breakout role in 1980 as private investigator Thomas Magnum in CBS primetime drama show Magnum P.I. The series ran for eight seasons from 1980 to 1988 and earned Selleck five Emmy Award nominations in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category. He won his first Emmy in the category in 1985. After Magnum P.I., Selleck starred in a recurring role as Richard Burke in Friends from Season 2 to Season 6. Other projects include the Jesse Stone detective film series, Three Men and a Baby, In & Out and more.