'Blue Bloods' Star Vanessa Ray Welcomes Baby Boy with Husband Landon Beard: 'Quite a Whirlwind' (Exclusive) (2024)

Vanessa Ray's family has grown by one more!

The actress, who is currently starring in her tenth season of Blue Bloods, welcomed a baby boy via adoption with husband Landon Beard, she exclusively tells PEOPLE.

"Isaac Ray Beard was born on November 7th and he kind of came into our life, it was quite a whirlwind," Ray shares.

"My husband and I weren't totally sure if we were going to have kids, at what point in our life that made sense and all those things," she continues. "I was at work one day, honestly I was about to do a family dinner and I just had this overwhelming sensation of family and what I love about our life and all of these things."

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'Blue Bloods' Star Vanessa Ray Welcomes Baby Boy with Husband Landon Beard: 'Quite a Whirlwind' (Exclusive) (1)

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Ray remembers calling her husband sobbing, telling him, "I think we're supposed to be parents" and "I think we're supposed to adopt."

One of the first people Ray told about her decision to adopt was friend and costar Bridget Moynahan.

"I literally was at work crying and I went to Bridget Moynahan and I was like, 'I just called Landon and we think we should be parents,' " Ray shares. She was like, 'Great, you need to talk to Peter Hermann.'"

While Ray had never met Peter Hermann, she knew that the actor and his wife, actress Mariska Hargitay, had adopted their son Andrew and daughter Amaya. Luckily, Ray and Hermann were slated for a scene together in the next script.

"Graciously, he really held our hand and walked us through everything that we would need to know about adoption," Ray recalls. "It's a lot of first dates almost. It almost feels like there's a ton of heartbreak that comes along with it."

When Ray and her husband began the adoption process, it took about a year to find a lawyer and fill out the required paperwork. After that, the process moved a lot faster than they thought it would.

'Blue Bloods' Star Vanessa Ray Welcomes Baby Boy with Husband Landon Beard: 'Quite a Whirlwind' (Exclusive) (2)

The couple put their information up on an adoption website on a Monday and by the next Saturday, the two were on a plane to meet a potential birth mother.

"It went super fast," Ray shares. "She was like, 'He's due in four weeks, so we have to do this quickly.' We were like, 'Whoa, okay.'"

Their son Isaac was born a week early, only one day before the actor's strike ended. "So we can attribute Isaac [to] ending the strike," the actress jokes. "It all happened in three weeks, really from zero to three weeks. Then we were bringing him out and it was incredible."

Since everything fell into place so quickly, Ray wasn't given much time to prepare.

"You're going through the process of speaking to different birth mothers and learning the laws in different states and things, and it just doesn't feel like you can buy a crib," she says. "You're not going to buy a crib and pacifiers for a baby that you don't even know you have."

'Blue Bloods' Star Vanessa Ray Welcomes Baby Boy with Husband Landon Beard: 'Quite a Whirlwind' (Exclusive) (3)

When the couple found out they would be adopting their son, Ray says their friends rallied around them to create a nursery in 24 hours.

"I'm not kidding you, in 24 hours we had a makeshift nursery put together. A crib, pacifiers, bottles, Baby Brezza, all the things," Ray says. "We had everything that we needed from our friends. We didn't have to buy anything. We really didn't right away, at least for the first three months."

As for how they settled on a name, Ray says she and her husband had discussed it almost 12 years prior when they were on a hike together. She was inspired by the biblical story of Isaac, who came to Sarah and Abraham later in life.

"My husband was like, 'Hey remember when we were on that hike and we were broken up and you had mentioned the name Isaac and how isn't that the most beautiful thing, the best way to respond is laughing and rejoicing?" says Ray.

"He's like, 'I think that's the name.' I was like, 'That's the name,'" the proud mom tells PEOPLE. "I guess that name has been with us for a long time. We never knew we'd ever have to use it and here we are. He is a lot of laughing and a lot of rejoicing."

'Blue Bloods' Star Vanessa Ray Welcomes Baby Boy with Husband Landon Beard: 'Quite a Whirlwind' (Exclusive) (4)

While Isaac has only been in her life for three months, Ray says the transition has been almost seamless.

"I don't want moms and dads to come for me everywhere, but he does sleep," Ray jokes. "He's just like me. He's just like his mama. He loves to sleep and he loves to eat."

Of course with the strike ending just as Isaac was born, Ray knew she'd have to share the exciting news with Blue Bloods executive producer Kevin Wade.

"I was like, 'Just so you know, I'm not in New York at the moment,' " she remembers. "I was like, 'Here's the thing I got to let you know. I have a baby. He was just born and I'm not sure when we're going to be back.'"

After she told Wade, Ray decided to call up her costars to tell them the good news.

"Of course I called Bridget right away and she was thrilled. Then I FaceTimed Donnie [Wahlberg] and I go, 'We have something to tell you.' He was like, 'Are you pregnant?' " the star recounts, saying Wahlberg knew right away.

"He's met Will [Estes] and Bridget and Donnie and Marisa [Ramirez] and Tom [Selleck], and yeah, he's met everybody," Ray says of her son. "So he's already a real part of the family."

For now, Ray is just excited to spend more time with her little guy.

"We're just so focused on him right now," she says. "And just showering him with love and trying to absorb every single moment we can of his just littleness, his little life."

'Blue Bloods' Star Vanessa Ray Welcomes Baby Boy with Husband Landon Beard: 'Quite a Whirlwind' (Exclusive) (2024)

FAQs

'Blue Bloods' Star Vanessa Ray Welcomes Baby Boy with Husband Landon Beard: 'Quite a Whirlwind' (Exclusive)? ›

The actress, who is currently starring in her tenth season of Blue Bloods, welcomed a baby boy via adoption with husband Landon Beard, she exclusively tells PEOPLE. "Isaac Ray Beard was born on November 7th and he kind of came into our life, it was quite a whirlwind," Ray shares.

Is Vanessa Ray from Blue Bloods married? ›

Personal life. Ray now lives and works between Los Angeles and New York City. She married actor Derek James Baynham on January 8, 2003.

Are Jamie and Eddie married in real life? ›

Will Estes. Plays: Sergeant Jamie Reagan, husband of Police Officer Edit “Eddie” Janko-Reagan, son of Police Commissioner Frank Reagan (2010-present). Relationship status: Single.

What year did Vanessa Ray start on Blue Bloods? ›

She's also well known for playing Police officer Edit "Eddie" Janko in the CBS Blue Bloods crime drama series since 2013.

Who played Tessa on Damages? ›

Vanessa Ray: Tessa Marchetti, Young Woman.

Did Baez on Blue Bloods have a baby? ›

However, she discovered he was seeing another officer at the same time. In 2022, Baez adopted a newborn baby girl, Elena Baez, whose biological mother Elena Marquez was murdered by a bomb planted on the orders of Arturo Muñoz.

What happened to Jamie's wife on Blue Bloods season? ›

Blue Bloods fans never suspected that Linda Reagan would be killed off between seasons, but that's precisely what happened. When season 8 of the series opened, fans learned that Linda had been killed in a helicopter crash.

Do the Blue Bloods cast get along? ›

“I love the cast… We all get along. I've never, ever seen one thing on the set of Blue Bloods [like an] argument,” Schirripa told Looper in 2022.

Do Jamie and Eddie start dating? ›

Over the course of Blue Bloods, their relationship has evolved far past that professional level. In early seasons, Jamie and Eddie shared an unspoken connection, though they never fully pursued a romance. However, in season 8, the couple finally accepted their romantic feelings for each other and got engaged.

Did Frank Reagan's wife ever appear on Blue Bloods? ›

As fans are well aware, Frank's wife, Mary Margaret Reagan, passed away before the first season even aired. Over the years, Frank has had brief flirtations but never a full-fledged relationship — and he's continued to wear his wedding ring and speak highly of his late wife all the while.

Who is the oldest actor on Blue Bloods? ›

Len Cariou
Len Cariou OC OM
BornLeonard Joseph Cariou September 30, 1939 Saint Boniface, Manitoba, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Alma materSt. Paul's College
OccupationActor
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What is Eddie short for on Blue Bloods? ›

Eddie Janko-Reagan. Jamie's partner and eventual wife, Officer Edit Marie "Eddie" Janko Reagan (first name pronounced "eh-DEET") is of mixed Hungarian and Serbian descent. Feisty and strongly opinionated, she is very passionate when it comes to her job. She is portrayed by Vanessa Ray.

Is the girl on Suits also on Blue Bloods? ›

She is known for her role on Pretty Little Liars as Charlotte Drake; and also for her roles as Jenny on the legal drama series Suits, Teri Ciccone on the soap opera As the World Turns, Officer Eddie Janko-Reagan on long-running family-police drama Blue Bloods, and Maggie "Rocker" Sheldon on White Collar.

Who is Tess on Blue Bloods? ›

Simone Policano: Tess Ross

Jump to: Photos (2)

Who is Michael's girlfriend on damages? ›

Wendy Moniz: Jill Burnham.

Who was Vanessa Morgan married to? ›

Morgan and Kopech officially divorced in 2021.

Who is Abigail Hawk married to in real life? ›

What happened to the wife of the detective on Blue Bloods? ›

Blue Bloods fans never suspected that Linda Reagan would be killed off between seasons, but that's precisely what happened. When season 8 of the series opened, fans learned that Linda had been killed in a helicopter crash. Her death was not shown.

Is actress Bridget Moynahan married? ›

Moynahan was in a brief relationship with director McG in the late 2010's. On October 17, 2015, she married businessman Andrew Frankel at a ceremony in the Hamptons. Moynahan is the stepmother to Frankel's three sons from a previous marriage.

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