Jennifer Esposito Leaving 'Blue Bloods': Actress Accuses CBS of 'Shameful, Discriminating Behavior,' Forced Celiac Disease Leave of Absence

CBS recently announced that actress Jennifer Esposito is taking a temporary leave of absence from her role as Donnie Wahlberg on the hit cop drama "Blue Bloods" - but according to Esposito, the cable network exhibited "shameful behavior" when they broke the news of her sabbatical  on Deadline. While the initial CBS announcement didn't insinuate any bad blood between the network and Esposito, the 39-year-old actress released a number of heated tweets in reply, alleging that producers at CBS wouldn't reduce her workload even after doctors told her to "take it easy" onset since she is currently battling Celiac disease. According to Esposito, CBS accused her of using the "illness" excuse as a scam to try and get a pay raise. As a result, Esposito has been unable to work at CBS (or anywhere else) for the past two months.

CBS TV Studios released this public statement through Deadline.com about Esposito's leave of absence - "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."

According to CBS, Friday, November 2 is the final "Blue Bloods" episode that Esposito is set to appear in (the show is currently in its third season).

But on Saturday, Esposito (who suffers from Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine) fired off a number of angry tweets alleging that CBS wasn't being totally honest in their statement. Here is the heated message (in full) that Esposito sent out to fans on Twitter (unedited):

"CBS knows PUT me on unpaid leave an has blocked me from working anywhere else after my doc said u needed a reduced schedule due to celiac ...CBS didn't listen to my doc and I collapsed on set. Which everyone saw! After a week off my doc said I could return to work but CBS ...  Implied that I was NOT truly ill and this was a scheme to get a raise! It's been almost two months without brining me back to work + keeping... Me from working anywhere else! So no that article is not telling you the truth. Absolutely shameful behavior ... If you feel this is unjust use your voice. That's all we have sometimes ... I love you all for the support need to rest now the whole situation brakes my heart. Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo."

CBS decline to comment on Esposito's tweets, but only released another statement very similar to the first.

So what do fans think - is CBS discriminating against Esposito's condition?