Why is Tru Valentino leaving ‘The Rookie’?

The Rookie centers around Nathan Fillion’s John Nolan, who becomes a police officer at an older age than everyone else at the LAPD. But, since a TV drama is absolutely nothing without it large cast of characters, fans appreciate Fillion’s castmates, too. That’s why it’s awful to hear that The Rookie season 7 premiere in 2025 will look different, because Tru Valentino has left the show.

Valentino’s The Rookie character, Officer Aaron Thorsen, has had a fully developed character arc since his introduction in season 4. He finds purpose and joy in his career after going through a terrible time when he is accused of killing his roommate. Since he’s become a huge part of the team, The Rookie fans are already upset about Aaron leaving.

Tru Valentino’s reason for leaving The Rookie, explained

In August 2024, Deadline reported that Valentino wouldn’t be a series regular on The Rookie season 7. But while Valentino wore his emotions on his sleeve when sharing with fans that he was leaving, he didn’t say why. Since he wrote in his Instagram story, “I will always cherish my time on The Rookie but couldn’t be more excited for what the future has in store,” he might have left to do something else with his acting career.

Valentino did mention “You never know who may pop back up in the Mid-Wilshire precinct,” which fans take to mean that Aaron could come back now and then. I can think of plenty of opportunities for Aaron to jump back into his work with the LAPD, given the fast-paced nature of the main characters’ lives.

While the actor only appeared in 34 episodes of the ABC drama, his character had a great arc and proved that the main message of The Rookie is about changing careers and doing what feels right, even if it’s a departure from your original path. While Nolan changes careers when he’s older, Aaron decides that he doesn’t want to be a famous TikTok star anymore. Although the characters have different reasons for joining the LAPD, they are united in their desire to follow their dreams and do something new.

Hearing that Valentino has left The Rookie is as terrible as learning about the cancelation of the spinoff Rookie: Feds. The actor genuinely loved playing Aaron, and hasn’t indicated that he wouldn’t want to come back. But, if he does return every once in a while, he might keep that a secret from fans. In February 2024, Valentino told Give Me My Remote, “I feel like I’m the hardest working man in show business trying to hide the fact that I’m still on the show. I’m constantly trying to do damage control.” He said that if photos of Aaron were shared online, he requested that they were deleted so The Rookie season 6 premiere could feel fresh and surprising.

I’m only one The Rookie fan who wants 2025 to get here so I can watch The Rookie season 7. But without Valentino’s Aaron, the premiere will be bittersweet.