The real reason Tru Valentino left The Rookie as new season sees the main character vanish

Season seven of The Rookie has just started airing in the UK, but after the first episode dropped, people noticed how Tru Valentino’s Aaron Thorsen was seemingly absent from roll call.

ClipTok star Aaron Thorsen joined the LAPD Mid-Wilshire Patrol Division in season four after he was cleared of the murder of his friend, Patrick. His story was gripping from the moment he appeared on screen as he was forced to grapple with being a famous person in the police force. In season five he was upgraded to main character, and his main storylines included being nearly killed in a brutal attack and finding the true culprit of Patrick’s murder.

In season six, Aaron was central to a corruption storyline involving a therapist sharing police secrets with a criminal network. Despite that, he didn’t return for season seven – and here’s the reason why.

Credit: ABC

Tru Valentino’s absence from The Rookie was explained in one line

In episode one of The Rookie season seven, Celina Juarez reveals that Aaron Thorsen was coping well at the West Hollywood division, where no one knew about his connection to the crooked therapist, Blaire London. Though it makes sense that he fled Mid-Wilshire following the controversy, the throwaway line did nothing for a character that had been central to plots for three seasons. There had to be more to the story, and it turns out there was.

News of Tru Valentino not returning to The Rookie was confirmed in August 2024, but a reason was not given until Showrunner Alexi Hawley cited creative differences as the cause in a January interview with Screen Rant.

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“Of course. Tru [Valentino] is a great actor, and he was a huge part of our show for several seasons, and so we’d love to have him back in some capacity,” she explained. “It just ultimately felt like, creatively, for where the show was going, that we needed to pivot a bit. But he’s still very much alive in our universe.”

Credit: Tru Valentino

At the same time, Tru Valentino posted a statement on his Instagram about Aaron Thorsen leaving The Rookie.

He wrote on his story: “I will always cherish my time on The Rookie, but couldn’t be more excited for what the future has in store. I adore the friends and relationships made while being there. It was such an amazing opportunity, and I feel so lucky to have had the last 3 seasons. Thank you to the best fans in the world. I know I don’t talk much, but I appreciate you all so much.

“You never know who may pop back up in the Mid-Wilshire Precinct. Until then, 7 Adam 19, this is Officer Thorsen, over and out!”

Though he didn’t rule out a return in the future, and not killing him off obviously left the door open, I can’t help but feel there is still more to the story. What are these creative differences? We might never know.

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Featured image credit: ABC/Tru Valentino