The police procedural drama “Blue Bloods” has been on the air since 2010, and now has over 10 seasons under its belt. Created by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, “Blue Bloods” focuses on Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck), a police commissioner, and as his kids, all of whom are also involved in police or law-centered work: Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) is an NYPD detective, Jamie (Will Estes) is an NYPD sergeant, and Erin (Bridget Moynahan) is an assistant district attorney.
A more recent addition to the Reagan family is Eddie Janko (Vanessa Ray) — now Eddie Janko-Reagan — an officer who married Jamie in the Season 9 finale after several years of romantic tension between the two, beginning when they became assigned police partners. Ray came into the series in Season 4 as a recurring character, and has been credited as a starring role since Season 5 (via IMDb).
Fans of “Blue Bloods” may wonder if Ray and Moynahan — the actresses behind the in-laws who frequently find themselves butting heads — are friends in real life. Well, thanks to social media posts, we have an answer.
Yes, Ray and Moynahan are friends in real life
Luckily, any on-screen feud between Eddie and Erin is not reflected in the real lives of the actors who play the sisters-in-law, Vanessa Ray and Bridget Moynahan. In case anyone is curious what their real-life relationship is like, the two have both taken to Instagram to post pictures together and talk about their friendship.
In April of 2020, Ray posted two photos of her and Moynahan — the first of which shows them smiling at the camera and the second has Moynahan smiling away from the camera — to celebrate Moynahan’s birthday. Ray captioned the post: “This is [Bridget Moynahan] the best advice giver, baked goods pusher, coolest New Yorker, and all around wonderful friend. Happy birthday! I can’t wait to have a theme party to celebrate you in person.”
About a year later, in June of 2021, Moynahan reciprocated the kind words for Ray’s birthday and even posted the same photo. In her caption, Moynahan wrote, “Happy Birthday to my TV [sister-in-law] and my real life friend [Vanessa Ray]! We will celebrate when you head back east for season 12!!!”
Finally, referencing their characters’ sometimes-fraught, on-screen relationship, Ray posted a screenshot from a “Blue Bloods” scene in which their two characters appear to be in a tense moment, but addressed their real-life dynamic in the caption. Ray wrote, “You maybe can’t tell from this post, but like, she LOVES me.”