Balthazar Getty Leaving Brothers And Sisters As Series Regular

Michael Ausiello is reporting that Balthazar Getty, who plays brother Tommy Walker, was informed last week that producers were not planning on picking up his option as a full-time series regular next season. This revelation doesn’t mean that Tommy will be permanently written out of the show.

A source close to Brothers and Sisters says Getty is currently in talks with the show to stay on in a reduced capacity, perhaps as a recurring guest star. While killing off Getty’s character was discussed, Tommy is more likely to either relocate with his wife and baby, or just drift into the background and reappear for the occasional disastrous dinner party.

Rumors about Getty’s possible exit have swirling around for months for months. The actor’s real-life drama – the collapse of his marriage and ensuing tabloid-ready romance with Sienna Miller – has allegedly alienated him from his co-stars, many of who had grown close to his wife, Rosetta, and their four young children. What’s more, according to E! Online’s Marc Malkin, Getty has been showing up late for work and proving increasingly “difficult” to work with. Getty’s role reduction is not the result of any one issue but a combination of factors that also includes budgetary and storyline considerations. Tommy has long been considered the most disposable of the Walker siblings. Removing him, at least as a regular presence, frees up the show to introduce some new blood.

A rep for the show declined to comment, Getty’s spokesperson denies that the actor is leaving.