Fans of Kim Delaney, the star of the legendary daytime soap opera, “All My Children,” and of the classic ’90s cop show, “NYPD Blue,” are trying to wrap their heads around the news that the actor has had another run-in with the law.
Delaney, 63, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of felony assault, related to “a heated argument” with partner James Morgan “that turned physical,” TMZ reported. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Delaney and Morgan were arrested on domestic violence charges at their home in Marina del Rey at 10:15 a.m. after paramedics responded to the scene and medically cleared them.
On social media, people expressed shock at this turn of events, with some remembering her as Jenny Gardner in “All My Children” in the early 1980s, the beautiful, kind and sensible high school girl whose presence was described as “heavenly.” During her three years on “All My Children, Delaney became one half of the show’s most beloved “super couples” until her Jenny character was killed by a spurned lover.
“My teenage crush,” one person proclaimed on a Fox News Facebook post about her arrest.
But others said people shouldn’t be shocked at her legal troubles and say aspects of her real life more accurately mirror Diane Russell, the detective she played on “NYPD Blue” on and off for nine seasons. Russell’s fan-favorite love affair with Detective Bobby Simone (played by Jimmy Smits) was imperiled by Russell’s struggles with alcoholism.
Indeed, Delaney’s personal life has been marred by what appears to be a pretty entrenched drinking problem, which has affected her career and led to very un-Diane Russell-like brushes with the law, the Daily Mail and other outlets have reported.
In 2002, she was arrested in Malibu on suspicion of drunken driving, after she refused a breathalyzer test after being pulled over by police, the Daily Mail reported. Delaney later pleaded no contest to the charge and ordered to pay a $300 fine, undergo a mandatory drunk driving course and be on probation for two years.
Later that year, she was dropped from a leading role in “CSI: Miami,” a spinoff of the hit “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” Entertainment Weekly initially reported that she was written out of the show after just 10 episodes because of her lack of chemistry with co-star David Caruso. But the following year she checked herself in alcohol rehab center in Arizona, limiting her return to “NYPD Blue,” Entertainment Weekly also reported.
Delaney’s alcohol-related issues escalated in 2005, when she lost custody of her son Jack Cortese, who was then 15, the Daily Mail reported.
The teenager testified that Delaney put him in danger by forcing him to ride with her when she picked him up from a party while allegedly intoxicated, the Daily Mail reported. He also claimed that she had urge his friend to get in the car as well, though they refused to ride with her due to her apparently intoxicated state. Cortese furthermore testified that it was not the first time that his mother had driven him while drunk.
Six years later, in September 2011, Delaney was pulled off stage at an event honoring former Defense Secretary Robert Gates after she delivered an incoherent and slurred speech, leading attendees to believe that she was intoxicated, the Daily Mail said.
Delaney’s first statement about the incident wasn’t until 2012, and she downplayed it to Entertainment Weekly, saying she “wasn’t feeling great’”when she delivered the speech and claiming there were “technical problems,” the Daily mail reported.
Prior to this weekend’s arrest, Delaney was involved in another situation that could lead people to conclude that she’s still struggling with substance abuse problems.
In January 2024, she was sued by a motorcyclist who claimed she fled the scene of an accident after allegedly crashing her car into him in in November 2022, the Daily Mail reported. In court documents witnesses alleged that Delaney was driving erratically prior to the crash.
In his lawsuit, the motorcyclist Dzhamal Badalov said he was stopped at a red light on Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles in November 2022 when Delaney allegedly crashed into his bike.
Badalov said the crash threw him off his motorcycle and into the intersection. He said Delaney tried to drive off but others stopped her from leaving. When Delaney exited her vehicle, she appeared to be disoriented and perhaps under the influence. Badalov said she was talking-to someone on the phone. He said she tried to get him to talk to the person on the other line, who offered to pay him an unspecified amount of money if he’d let her leave the scene without reporting the incident to police.
When Badalov said he refused the offer, Delaney still left the scene before police could respond. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office subsequently opened a criminal case against Delaney and charged her with a hit and run, Us Weekly reported. Radar Online reported that a plea was struck with Delaney in which she was ordered to attend a 12-month diversion program and ordered to perform 50 hours of community service.
Since Delaney’s career peak in “NYPD Blue,” for which she was nominated three times for supporting actress Emmys, winning once in 1997, she has continued to work, though the hits have been elusive.
Delaney had a recurring role on “The O.C.” appeared on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and played a main role in the Lifetime TV series, “Army Wives.” She returned to daytime soaps in 2021 and 2021 by taking on the role of investigative reporter Jackie Templeton — a role originated by Demi Moore in the early 1980s.