There are many reasons why the team behind The Rookie deserves to be proud of what they've accomplished. One of the most obvious things that everyone involved in the police procedural show should take pride in is that the series has an incredible cast. It truly is impressive that actors as skilled as Nathan Fillion, Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Titus Makin Jr., Mercedes Mason, Melissa O'Neil, Eric Winter, Afton Williamson, Mekia Cox, Shawn Ashmore, and Jenna Dewan have all starred in The Rookie.
Given how talented all those performers are as actors, it shouldn't surprise anyone that each of them appear to have fascinating backgrounds. However, there is one The Rookie actor who has a background that the show's fans definitely didn't see coming. As a result, there were some hilarious reactions when some of the series' most dedicated viewers learned the truth about that actor's history.
The Rookie fans had hilarious reactions to learning about Brent Huff's past
Even though Brent Huff has never been a member of The Rookie's starring cast, he has become a major part of the show. Cast as Officer Quigley Smitty, Brent's comedic timing has allowed the character to bring an element of humor to the show that many viewers welcome. Brent and Smitty are now so connected in the minds of many of the character's fans that they were shocked to learn about the actor's real-life past.
The r/TheRookie subreddit is the place where many of the show's most dedicated fans go to interact with each other. While those fans will likely know that plans for a second The Rookie spin-off have been in the works, many of them clearly didn't know about Brent's past. A December 2024 post on the subreddit revealed that Brent was a successful model during the '80s.
In response to the subreddit post, there were a myriad of amusing responses from The Rookie's fans. For example, one user didn't believe that the photos from Brent's modeling days that were included in the post really were of the actor. "No way is that smitty" Other responses kept it simple by writing things like "Woah," "Dang Smitty," and "Omg what."
My favorite response to the post has to be what the user u/emilia1219714 wrote. "ARREST ME BUT MAKE IT SEXY" A perfect reference to the memorable "Daddy Cop" song from The Rookie, that response hilariously proves the fact that fans love to bring up specific moments from the show, even when they are shocked. With fans like that, it is no wonder that The Rookie became one of ABC's most-watched shows.
The Rookie's Brent Huff really was a wildly successful model
Of course, just because someone posted on Reddit claiming that Brent Huff was a highly successful model in the past doesn't mean that is true. In this case, however, it is entirely true that The Rookie actor was a highly in-demand model when he was younger. In April 2023, Brent described his modeling days and why he gave that career up during an interview with Voyage LA.
"Thankfully, one day, Nina Blanchard, who was the top modeling agent in Los Angeles at the time, asked me if I wanted to be a model. Never in my life had I thought about modeling. I ended up working quite a bit and that career took me to New York, Paris and Milan. It was an amazing opportunity but it didn’t get me any closer to my goal of being a working actor. I got serious about the craft and moved to New York to study acting at the HB Studios."