Meet the Kids of “The Rookie” Cast (Including Who Has Made a Cameo!)
Meet the Kids of “The Rookie” Cast (Including Who Has Made a Cameo!)
Emily WeaverMon, February 23, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC
0
Alyssa Diaz and Gustavo Galindo with their kids on June 10, 2025 in Los Angeles, California ; Eric Winter with his family in June 2025.
Jesse Grant/Getty ; Eric Winter/Instagram
Despite the trials and tribulations their characters experience on-screen, The Rookie cast is one big happy family.
The procedural crime drama, which is inspired by the true story of Los Angeles Police Department officer William “Bill” Norcross, follows the lives of the city’s officers, paramedics and attorneys as they navigate personal obstacles, romances and work-related challenges.
Behind the cameras, the series is a family affair, with several of the cast members starring opposite their real-life partners and kids.
In season 2, series regular Eric Winter shared the set with his wife and fellow actor, Roselyn Sánchez, as did Jenna Dewan with her fiancé, Steve Kazee, in season 4. Meanwhile, series creator Alexi Hawley wrote both Alyssa Diaz and Mekia Cox’s real-life pregnancies into their characters’ storylines in season 3 and 5, respectively.
Following the birth of Diaz’s daughter, Hawley told Entertainment Weekly in January 2011 that her pregnancy was “a great storyline” and lended “a great layer of drama” to her character. Albeit, most importantly, she added, “I think it will resonate with a lot of women in the workplace who have had to walk that line.”
Here’s everything to know about the kids of The Rookie cast.
01 of 07
Alyssa Diaz’s 2 Kids
Alyssa Diaz and Gustavo Galindo with their kids on June 10, 2025 in Los Angeles, California
Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney/Pixar
Diaz is a mom to two children, as is her Rookie character Angela Lopez.
While shooting season 3 of The Rookie, the actress became pregnant with her first child — a son — with fiancé and musician Gustavo Galindo. Rather than hide her pregnancy on-screen, though, it was written into her character’s storyline.
"Ultimately, it's been a great storyline for [Angela]. It really does add a level of reality to her experience to finally get this job that she wanted so much, but to be pregnant going into it," Hawley told EW.
Diaz and Galindo later welcomed a daughter. (He also has an older daughter from a previous relationship.)
The couple, who met on Bumble, have kept details about their children under wraps. They don’t often post about them on social media, nor have they publicly shared their names or birthdates.
02 of 07
Jenna Dewan’s 3 Kids
Jenna Dewan on November 8, 2025 in West Hollywood, California. ; Jenna Dewan's kids
Monica Schipper/Getty; Jenna Dewan/Instagram
Dewan first became a mom with the birth of her daughter, Everly, whom she shares with ex-husband Channing Tatum. Everly was born on May 31, 2013.
In February 2020, Dewan announced her engagement to Kazee. The pair have since welcomed two children together. Their son, Callum, was born on March 6, 2022. They welcomed a daughter named Rhiannon on June 14, 2024.
Speaking to PEOPLE in June 2024, Dewan opened up about how she’s navigating co-parenting amid “the new normal of a blended family.”
"Like everything else in life, you learn as you go. You shift and evolve and you adapt to how life is presenting itself to you," she said.
But above all else, Dewan added, "Kids always come first. How you feel about your kids. How you treat your kids. Kids always come first above everything else.”
The actress joked that raising three young kids has kept her “in a youthful place.”
03 of 07
Shawn Ashmore’s Son
Shawn Ashmore with his wife Dana Wasdin and their son
Shawn Ashmore/Instagram
Shawn Ashmore and his wife, Dana Wasdin, welcomed son Oliver on July 16, 2017.
Speaking with KGET.com in June 2020, Ashmore shared how Oliver has given him “a whole new understanding [about] playing a father and husband" on-camera.
“As a younger man, I didn’t understand or have that knowledge,” he explained.
Ashmore and Wasdin got married on July 27, 2012, after first crossing paths on the set of the 2010 drama Frozen, where she was a film executive. They got engaged a year later.
Advertisement
Today, Ashmore posts about their family life, including taking Oliver fishing, celebrating his birthday and the holiday season.
04 of 07
Eric Winter’s 2 Kids
Eric Winter with wife Roselyn Sánchez and their two kids
Eric Winter/Instagram
In The Rookie, Winter plays former Marine and LAPD sergeant Tim Bradford — but off-screen, he’s busy raising his teenage daughter and young son, whom he shares with Sánchez.
The pair dated for three years before tying the knot on Nov. 29, 2008. They welcomed their first child, daughter Sebella, on Jan. 4, 2012. Their son, Dylan, was born on Nov. 3, 2017.
In an Instagram photo carousel from a family trip to Paris, Winter called Sebi and Dylan “my greatest gift.”
“Being a dad has been everything for me. I do it all for them!” he wrote.
Sánchez told Hallmart’s Home & Family in August 2019 that Winter is “an amazing father” and that she feels “very blessed and very lucky.”
05 of 07
Richard T. Jones’ 3 Children
Richard T. Jones on September 5, 2025 in West Hollywood, California
JC Olivera/Variety via Getty
Richard T. Jones has children with ex-wife Nancy Jones.
His daughters, Sydney and Aubrey, are in their own pop music duo called Honey.
At Sydney’s wedding, Jones escorted his daughter down the aisle to a song she wrote. Sydney later said on Instagram that the song will “always have a special place in my heart.”
06 of 07
Mekia Cox’s 2 Daughters
Mekia Cox and her two daughters
Mekia Cox/Instagram
Cox and her character, detective Nyla Harper, have a lot in common — both are proud mothers of two daughters.
Cox married basketball analyst Britt Leach on April 28, 2018. The pair welcomed their first daughter later that winter. The couple’s second daughter was born on May 13, 2022.
Cox’s pregnancy, and subsequent home birth, coincided with The Rookie’s fifth season, and were written into Nyla’s storyline. Following her second daughter’s arrival, Meika reflected on Instagram regarding her on- and off-screen home birth experience.
“My real home birth. ☺️♥️ Much thnx to 'my birthing team' for peacefully bringing my child into this world,” Cox wrote in the caption. “And thnx to @alexihawley and the Rookie writers for depicting a home birth on tv and helping to normalize such a beautiful experience.”
Cox’s younger daughter made another cameo in season 8, which Cox described to PEOPLE as “wonderful.”
However, both of Cox’s daughters know their way around The Rookie set. The duo has visited their mom a handful of times, including in 2024 when they got their turn in the director’s chair.
"Behind the scenes with my 2 little loves! 👧🏽👧🏽❤️ #BTS #TheRookie,” Cox wrote on Instagram alongside several snaps from their time on set together.
07 of 07
Arjay Smith’s 2 Kids
Arjay Smith on April 19, 2023 in Hollywood, California
Michael Tullberg/Getty
Arjay Smith married director Brittany Scott Smith on Dec. 27, 2015. The couple share two children together, whose lives they’ve kept out of the spotlight.
While appearing on The Brett Allan Show in November 2024, Smith recalled the moment he realized he has a little thespian on his hands.
“My son was playing soccer yesterday and he was, like, dancing ... I said, ‘Okay, he’s probably going to be a performing artist like his daddy,’ ” he said.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
