For someone who started acting relatively late (by Hollywood’s standards), Bridget Moynahan has had a robust career that’s still going strong. While she’s often best remembered as Rachel in Coyote Ugly (2000), she’s had plenty of other standout roles, including a 14-season stint on Blue Bloods.But how did she get into acting, and what does she have on the cards for 2026?
Bridget Moynahan’s Early Life and Modeling Career: A Sporty Child Turned Teen Model
Raised alongside her two brothers in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, Moynahan was a tomboy who grew up playing basketball, soccer, and lacrosse (she captained all three girls’ teams). In high school, she auditioned for a play but was told that she’d have to choose between drama and sports.
She stuck with sports but started attending an acting school in her spare time and picked up modelling in her senior year. After graduating in 1989, she moved to New York City to work as a model, while taking acting classes at night.
Moynahan achieved international success as a model, gracing the covers of Vogue Paris and Elle in 1993 (and Glamour six times) in her heyday. Soon, she was booking television commercials, and that gave her the confidence to start auditioning for film and TV roles.
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Bridget Moynahan’s Breakout Roles: Natasha in Sex and the City (2000) and Rachel in Coyote Ugly (2000)
After a couple of minor credits, Moynahan struck gold when she landed the role of Natasha Naginsky — Mr Big’s young wife. She was 29 when her first episode of Sex and the City hit the screen in June 2000. That episode, “Attack of the 5’10” Woman,” aired on June 18, 2000.
Around the same time she was appearing in Sex and the City, she was also in Coyote Ugly (released August 4, 2000), where she played Rachel alongside Hollywood heavyweights like John Goodman and Tyra Banks [Rotten Tomatoes: 23% critics, 71% audience]. When asked by The Imagista about what it was like to be part of the film, Moynahan said, “It was a lot bigger than I’d ever imagined.”
Bridget Moynahan on Blue Bloods: 14 Seasons and 293 Episodes as Erin Reagan
Moynahan had plenty of respectable roles throughout the early 2000s, including Susan Calvin in I, Robot (2004). But it was her 14-season portrayal of Erin Reagan on Blue Bloods that helped keep her a household name.
The series aired between 2010 and 2024, running for 14 seasons and 293 episodes. Moynahan’s character has a central role as a New York County Assistant District Attorney, and Moynahan was part of the main cast for all 14 seasons.
Additionally, she directed three Blue Bloods episodes in later seasons, including “Hidden Motive” (season 12), “Nothing Sacred” (season 13), and “Past is Present” (season 14).
And it wasn’t just Blue Bloods she was working on during this time. Other noteworthy roles from the era include Michele in Battle: Los Angeles (2011), John Wick’s wife, Helen, in John Wick (2014), Luke’s mom in The Journey Home (2014), and Cassie in the short film Swipe NYC (2023).
What Is Bridget Moynahan Doing Now? Her Family Life, Charity Work and Latest Projects
In October 2015, Moynahan married her now-husband Andrew Frankel in the Hamptons. While the couple doesn’t have children together, they share a beautiful blended family of four kids (Jack and Frankel’s three sons). Moynahan’s son, Jack, graduated from Riverdale Country School in June 2026 at a staggering height of 6’6″ (taking after his NFL legend father, Tom Brady).
On top of acting, Moynahan has co-written a book, The Blue Bloods Cookbook (2015), and has supported various charitable causes including Hole in the Wall Gang Camp and Jumpstart. In 2025, she also received the JFK National Award from the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Committee.
And what about her latest on-screen work?
Bridget Moynahan recently starred in the independent film Original Sound (2026), playing Linda Summers Weiss in the drama, which opened in limited release on April 24, 2026, and reprised her iconic role as Erin Reagan alongside Donnie Wahlberg as a special guest star in the CBS spin-off series, Boston Blue, where she also directed an episode in season one. The series is currently broadcasting its second season on CBS, which premiered on Friday, 9 October 2026. It has not yet been confirmed whether Moynahan will appear in season two.
Where to watch: Boston Blue airs Fridays at 10/9c on CBS and streams on Paramount+. Coyote Ugly (2000) can be rented or bought digitally from Amazon Video, Apple TV and Fandango At Home (availability as of October 2026).
