Titus Makin Jr.: Why He Left The Rookie

Most actors who land a series regular role on a hit network drama stay as long as the show runs. Titus Makin Jr. made a different call. After three seasons playing Officer Jackson West on ABC’s The Rookie, he walked away — and what he’s done since tells a more interesting story than staying ever would.

Full name: Titus Odell Makin Jr. ·
Born: June 10, 1989, Honolulu, Hawaii ·
Also known as: Butterfly Ali ·
Profession: Actor, singer, dancer, songwriter ·
Notable role: Officer Jackson West on The Rookie (2018–2021) ·
Instagram followers: 165K+

Eight data points, one pattern: Titus Makin Jr. built a career that spans acting, dance, and music, with the most recent chapter leaning heavily on the latter.

Why Did Titus Makin Quit The Rookie?

Official reason for departure

Titus Makin Jr. left The Rookie after season 3 in 2021, and the exit was a mutual decision between the actor and the show’s producers (Braves Oye summary of departure). According to reports, Makin Jr. had grown uncomfortable playing a Black police officer without the storylines addressing the real-world racial tensions that came to a head after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020 (Braves Oye reporting on his concerns). He reportedly considered leaving as early as the summer of 2020.

Character Jackson West’s storyline ending

The season 4 premiere of The Rookie revealed that Jackson West had been killed off-screen (Braves Oye character death confirmation). The show wrote the character out as having resigned from the LAPD and later dying in an off-screen incident. This allowed the series to move forward without recasting or leaving the door open for a return. The writing decision was made by the producers in consultation with Makin Jr. (Braves Oye account of producer collaboration).

The trade-off: Makin Jr. gave up a steady network gig to preserve his personal integrity. The cost was a clean break from a character that could have run for years.

What Is Titus Makin Jr. Doing Now?

Music career as Butterfly Ali

Makin Jr. performs and releases music under the stage name Butterfly Ali, a soul and funk project he has described as his true creative home (Wikipedia music career overview). In a 2020 interview with Connecticut Public Television, he said music was his “through line” and that he had finally found time to get back to recording (CPTV YouTube interview with Makin Jr.). He released the single “Way Up” in 2024, marking his first major release under the Butterfly Ali name (Wikipedia discography listing).

The name Butterfly Ali itself carries meaning. In a 2019 interview with TV Insider, Makin Jr. explained that it blends the imagery of a butterfly with Muhammad Ali’s famous phrase “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” (TV Insider interview on Butterfly Ali origin). He described the project as something he had been working on since before his acting career took off.

Recent acting projects

Since leaving The Rookie, Makin Jr. has taken on a handful of acting roles. He appeared as Lt. Adam Parish in a 2021 episode of NCIS: Hawaiʻi (Braves Oye NCIS guest role) and played a supporting role in the 2022 film On the Come Up (Braves Oye film credit). He also starred as a lead in an NBC Walmart/P&G family movie night special, though specific title details remain unconfirmed in public databases.

Social media presence

Titus Makin Jr. maintains an active presence on Instagram, where he has more than 165,000 followers (Instagram profile @titusmakin). He also engages with fans on TikTok, sharing clips of his music and behind-the-scenes moments. His content blends personal updates, music previews, and occasional reflections on his acting career.

Is Titus Makin Jr. in a Relationship?

Public relationship status

As of 2025, Titus Makin Jr. has not publicly confirmed a current relationship. No verified reports of a spouse, fiancée, or long-term partner exist in credible media sources (Wikipedia personal life section). He does not appear to share romantic partner content on his Instagram feed, which focuses on music, travel, and professional updates.

Past dating rumors

Occasional speculation has surfaced on social media platforms and fan forums regarding his dating history, particularly during his time on The Rookie. However, none of these claims have been corroborated by Makin Jr. or by any known media interviews. Fans have also linked him to co-stars from Glee and The Rookie, but no evidence supports these connections (Braves Oye speculation review).

The catch: Without a direct statement from Makin Jr., his relationship status remains private by design. The available data says nothing — and that itself is the only reliable fact.

What Has Titus Makin Jr. Done Since The Rookie?

Music releases

Makin Jr.’s primary creative output since leaving The Rookie has been music. His Butterfly Ali project released the single “Way Up” in 2024 (Wikipedia single listing). He had previously described the Butterfly Ali LP as an upcoming album in his 2019 TV Insider interview, though a full-length release has not yet materialized.

Acting roles after 2021

His acting credits post-Rookie include a guest role in NCIS: Hawaiʻi (2021) and a supporting part in On the Come Up (2022) (Braves Oye post-Rookie roles). He also appeared in a family movie night special on NBC. According to the Auckland Journal’s coverage of entertainment career pivots, it is common for TV actors to transition into film and music after a long-running role, but Makin Jr.’s move into music as a primary focus is less typical.

Other professional activities

Makin Jr. remains active on social media, with a growing Instagram following of over 165,000 users (Instagram profile @titusmakin). He occasionally posts about dance and choreography, referencing his background as a trained dancer. He has not announced any upcoming acting projects, which reinforces the observation that music is currently his professional priority.

What this means: Since 2021, Makin Jr. has appeared in roughly three acting roles — a modest count compared to his Rookie workload. The shift is clear: he is choosing music frequency over acting volume.

Is Anyone LGBTQ in The Rookie?

LGBTQ characters in the series

The Rookie includes several LGBTQ characters. Officer Lucy Chen, played by Melissa O’Neil, has been interpreted by some viewers as bisexual, though the show has not made that explicit. The series also introduced a transgender character and has featured same-sex relationships among supporting cast members (Wikipedia LGBTQ representation in The Rookie). The show has received praise from media critics for its diverse casting and storylines.

Titus Makin Jr.’s role and representation

Titus Makin Jr.’s character, Jackson West, was not explicitly written as LGBTQ. However, some fans have speculated about the character’s identity based on subtext in certain episodes. No official statement from Makin Jr. or the show’s producers has confirmed or denied these readings. Makin Jr. himself has not publicly discussed his own sexual orientation, and his private life remains separate from his on-screen roles (Wikipedia personal life section).

The implication: The Rookie does include LGBTQ representation, but Jackson West is not one of those characters. Any suggestion otherwise is inference, not fact.

Titus Makin Jr. walked away from one of network television’s biggest shows because he could not play a Black cop without the stories grappling with real-world racial violence. He chose music instead — a creative identity he had been nurturing long before anyone knew his face from Glee or The Rookie. For fans wondering where he went, the answer is streaming platforms, Instagram, and a stage name with roots in Muhammad Ali. For the industry, his move signals something quieter: that a rising actor can step off the promotional treadmill and still build a career on his own terms. For the audience, the takeaway is straightforward — Makin Jr. is not coming back to The Rookie, but he is still performing, still recording, and still very much in the game.