#Vanessa Ray teases guest star

We’re five days away from Blue Bloods season 11 episode 6 — so why not go ahead and share some guest-starring news?

In a new post on her official Instagram, Vanessa Ray (Eddie, pictured above) teased the arrival of a new guest star in Kate Rockwell, who will be playing the part of Claire Gilmore. For big-time Broadway fans, Kate’s name will be familiar given her role in the Mean Girls musical; she also appeared on the short-lived Fox series Almost Family. This casting is another reminder of how New York-based shows are looking to support Broadway during the pandemic by hiring their talent; we’ve seen Law & Order: SVU showrunner Warren Leight note that this is something that he is specifically emphasizing at this time to help some of these actors. Given the nature of Broadway, it may be one of the last forms of entertainment to fully re-open.

So who will Claire be within the context of Blue Bloods season 11 episode 6? There is no confirmation on that at the moment, but we wonder if she will be the social worker who is assigned to Jamie and Eddie for a ride-a-long. We’ve reported already that this is a part of the story for this episode, as Ray and Will Estes’ characters get a further crash course on crisis management out in the field. It would make some sense for Rockwell to work with Vanessa, given that the two are apparently close in real life.

In the end, we’re always going to welcome someone new into the Blue Bloods family! One of the great things about this show is that there is always potential for guest stars to return — the writers craft this version of New York as a living, breathing world. It is one where characters can come and go depending on the specific ebb and flow of the story.

Remember that this episode, entitled “The New Normal,” will air on Friday at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time.

What do you want to see for Jamie and Eddie on Blue Bloods season 11 episode 6?

Let us know right now in the comments! Once you do that, be sure to also come back around for some other insight. (Photo: CBS.)

This article was written by Jessica Carter. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.