Donnie Wahlberg Cried for Hours After 'Blue Bloods' Series Finale

After 14 seasons and 293 episodes, the beloved police procedural show 'Blue Bloods' aired its final episode on December 13th, leaving fans and cast members alike with a bittersweet feeling.

Donnie Wahlberg, who plays Danny Reagan, recently shared a deeply personal account of the last few days of the show, focusing on filming the famous family dinner scene.

"We were all walking this real delicate tightrope during the finale, knowing it was the last episode and feeling very emotional each day," Wahlberg explained.

The actor described the atmosphere on set as emotionally charged, with everyone acutely aware that each scene could be their last. He thought that the finale, especially the family dinner scenes that have become a show staple, would really hit home with fans.

Wahlberg talked about how hard it was to hold back tears while filming, and he thinks the viewers will feel the same way. The hardest day for them mentally, though, was the last day of filming.

"I think the most important thing I'll remember is when we were done filming. We all just kind of sat there for a long time, and I think everyone was hesitating to say something to say goodbye because A, nobody wanted to, and B, everyone knew once someone started talking, that was it."

Tom Selleck, who plays Frank Reagan, the family father, recited a poem – a tradition he has done many times during the show's run. This made Wahlberg feel very sad, and he thought about how long he had been with the show and how much he admired Selleck..

Wahlberg told an touching story about how he watched Selleck on TV with his mother and grandma when he was a child, both of whom have since passed away. This realization, coupled with the finality of the moment, triggered a powerful emotional release.

“The first day we ever shot was the dinner scene, right?” Wahlberg recounted. “I didn’t have time then to be in awe of Tom Selleck or to think, ‘Wow, when I was a little kid, if you told me I would work with Tom Selleck for 14 years — or ever — it would be more than I could ever have dreamed of.’ And now here I am, closing out 14 years with him, and I allowed myself to think about that while he was talking.”

This reflection made Wahlberg feel a lot of different emotions. “I started crying and didn’t stop for a few hours,” he confessed.

Wahlberg ended by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to have been a part of such a special project, finding solace in the fact that he had the chance to experience it at all. He reflected that this perspective helped him accept and feel at peace with the finish. This comes after Selleck said he was upset that the show was canceled.