THE FLASH: Jesse L. Martin Taking A Medical Leave Of Absence From The Hit DC Series

THE FLASH: Jesse L. Martin Taking A Medical Leave Of Absence From The Hit DC Series

Following rampant fan speculation, The CW has officially announced today that Jesse L. Martin, who plays the fan-favorite Detective Joe West, will be taking a medical leave of absence from The Flash.

By RohanPatel - Oct 31, 2018 11:10 AM EST
Filed Under: The Flash
Source: TV Line
Following weeks of speculation, TV Line and Entertainment Weekly have both separately confirmed that Jesse L. Martin, who plays Detective Joe West, will be taking a medical leave of absence from the series within the next few weeks. In their official statement, The CW said, “Jesse Martin is taking a medical leave of absence from The Flash. We wish him a full and speedy recovery and look forward to his return as Detective Joe West.”

According to TV Line's sources, Martin suffered a pretty major back injury over the summer hiatus, limiting his mobility, which explains why almost all of his scenes this season have featured him in a sitting position. It also explains why he's spent the vast majority of his time at home, save for a brief appearance at the precinct last night, and why he hasn't taken a particularly active role in Team Flash's hunt for Cicada (Chris Klein).

Martin's absence will be addressed on the series in the coming weeks, but details on his temporary exit are being kept under wraps for now. A timetable on his return has also not been given
, but considering the nature of his injury, it seems that he may end up missing a good chunk of the season, which has eighteen episodes left to air.

"All Doll'd Up" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (TV-PG, LV) (HDTV)

BARRY AND IRIS TEAM UP TO STOP A DANGEROUS META NAMED RAG DOLL - Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) lets something slip about the future that devastates Iris (Candice Patton). In an attempt to distract his wife, Barry (Grant Gustin) asks Iris to team up to stop a new meta, Rag Doll (guest star Troy James). Meanwhile, Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) learns something about her father. Phil Chipera directed the episode written by Thomas Pound & Sterling Gates (#505). Original airdate 11/13/2018.


Matching wits with The Thinker, who by season’s end had harnessed the powers of all twelve bus metas he created, stretched Team Flash to their limits, but with the help of some new allies, Barry Allen (aka The Flash) and company were able to put a stop to the Enlightenment and save Central City once again. However, with the arrival of Barry and Iris’ speedster daughter, Nora, who arrived from the future admitting to having made a “big mistake,” things are anything but status quo. Will parenthood be the challenge that finally slows The Flash down?

The Flash features:
Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Flash
Candice Patton as Iris West-Allen
Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost
Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon/Vibe
Tom Cavanagh as Dr. Harrison Wells
Jesse L. Martin as Detective Joe West
John Wesley Shipp as Henry Allen/Jay Garrick
Michelle Harrison as Nora Allen
Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West/Kid Flash
Violett Beane as Jesse Quick
Danielle Nicolet as Cecille Horton
Hartley Sawyer as Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man
Jessica Parker Kennedy as Nora Allen
Chris Klein as Cicada


The Flash returns with an all-new episode on November 13

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MUTO123
MUTO123 - 10/31/2018, 11:26 AM
Damn. Hope he gets better soon.
NinnesMBC
NinnesMBC - 10/31/2018, 11:34 AM
Godspeed Jesse L. Martin, take care and take it easy, your health is first.

Just enjoy the show every Tuesday for now, the rest got it.

Skrull
Skrull - 10/31/2018, 11:35 AM
Wishing Jesse a speedy recovery. Joe is one of my favorite characters and he will be missed while Jesse is gone.
Snowbirdd
Snowbirdd - 10/31/2018, 11:44 AM
OMG some of us had predicted this after seeing him pretty much being seated down or standing still in every episode this season so far
THEDARKKNIGHT1939
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 10/31/2018, 11:44 AM
Hope he gets better.
JstaKIDfrmBKLYN
JstaKIDfrmBKLYN - 10/31/2018, 11:45 AM
Damn. He's the best part of the show, but he's gotta take his time until he's right. Back injuries are no joke. Gonna miss him. Get well soon, Jesse.
johnnymarr
johnnymarr - 10/31/2018, 11:48 AM
Best actor in the regular cast of The Flash, hands down.
HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 10/31/2018, 12:18 PM
@johnnymarr -
KWilly
KWilly - 10/31/2018, 11:48 AM


He seemed really off his game ever since S5 started. Gotta admire the man's work ethic to play through the pain anyway.

Godspeed Jesse. Get some rest.
Lostcause
Lostcause - 10/31/2018, 1:12 PM
@KWilly - I see what you did there...A "Godspeed" get well on a Flash article.
willishl
willishl - 10/31/2018, 11:59 AM
He's a good actor and seems like a great guy. I hope he gets well soon. On another note, I always thought that they should find a way to give him and Callista Flockhart screentime as sort of a nod to their days on Ally McBeal.
ArthurFleck
ArthurFleck - 10/31/2018, 12:30 PM
Back pain is the worst. I hope he recovers fast and has no lasting damage. As someone who lives with chronic back pain from a motorcycle accident I know how debilitating it can be. You never realize how every single thing you do uses your back until every single thing you do is a painful shock. He has my positive thoughts.

And please for the love of god don't kill Joe off! It's bad enough they killed off Quentin Lance on Arrow, dont you dare take away Papa Joe from me too!!!
MasterTaffer
MasterTaffer - 10/31/2018, 12:45 PM
Take it easy, Jesse. Rest up and come back when you're ready.
dracula
dracula - 10/31/2018, 12:54 PM
no wonder he has spent the first few episodes on the couch, well hopefully he recovers soon and can get back to work
BackwardGalaxy
BackwardGalaxy - 10/31/2018, 12:57 PM
Knew there was something wrong. Dammit. Here's to hoping he makes a full recovery. Seems like a genuinely good dude.
Asturgis
Asturgis - 10/31/2018, 1:23 PM
Hey, I slipped on a beer cap going from the couch to the fridge, fell on my butt, and now I can barely sit to play video games. Where's my support? So if you're not an actor, people here don't care about your problems, I see how it is.

JohnnyTBP
JohnnyTBP - 10/31/2018, 1:25 PM
Get well Joe
Mysterion
Mysterion - 10/31/2018, 1:32 PM
no wonder he been sitting in every episode so far.
TheStrangeDoc
TheStrangeDoc - 10/31/2018, 1:34 PM
That ain't back pain. Something else going on.
Reeds2Much
Reeds2Much - 10/31/2018, 2:07 PM
CopDad is getting tired of Barry's time travel shenanigan shit.
rabid
rabid - 10/31/2018, 9:25 PM
He's great, but I really wouldn't mind if they killed him off and introduced Iris' real parents, the Russells.
Eli
Eli - 11/3/2018, 8:01 AM
What a shame! Really enjoy his work and he seems like a great guy. I hope he recovers soon.

On a side note: Be careful with your back. A great many of the injuries you can inflict on it are sometimes impossible to heal, no matter how young you are. Alright...enough unsolicited advice from an old-fart dad. But I guess that's why I like Joe so much! 😜
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