Jesse L. Martin is taking a medical leave from ‘The Flash’. The veteran Broadway actor who plays Detective Joe West injured his back during the show’s summer hiatus which is why his character has been shown sitting during most of his scenes this season. It is not known how long he will be gone, but it will be addressed on the show. Apparently, he will be gone long enough that it will be noticeable that he isn’t present, but from the sound of things, he didn’t film a goodbye scene in which Joe announces he is going out of town or whatever explanation they concoct. It’s also not clear when Joe will depart.
While he has taken on a smaller role this year, he has been there to support Cecelia (Danielle Nicolet) and Iris (Candice Patton) as they deal with motherhood and was even taken captive by the show’s new villain Cicada (Chris Klein).
Obviously, Joe is married to Cecelia and the two just had a baby, Jenna, who may be a metahuman. Joe is also the father to Iris and Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) and the surrogate father/father-in-law to Barry (Grant Gustin).
‘The Flash’ is currently in its fifth season. It appears that the cast is currently filming the midseason finale which is part of the ‘Elseworlds’ crossover with ‘Supergirl’ and ‘Arrow’. After that, filming will cease for a period of time. This is most likely when Martin’s Joe will make his departure. Does this mean that Cecelia and Jenna will also be taking a break? Nicolet was just elevated to series regular this season, so maybe not.
In a statement from The CW, the series wished Martin well on his recovery:
“We wish him a full and speedy recovery and look forward to his return as Detective Joe West.”
‘The Flash’ airs on Tuesday nights on The CW at 8pm EST.
Source: TV Line
