8 Criminal Minds Cast Members Who Left The Show Early (& Why)

During Criminal Minds‘ 16 seasons, many cast members left for various reasons but fans still wonder things like, “why did Gideon leave Criminal Minds?” The show is a popular police procedural drama that follows a group of criminal profilers working for the Behavioral Analysis Unit in the FBI. The show premiered in 2005 on CBS and had a mostly successful run. Widely considered one of the best procedural TV shows, Criminal Minds remained popular because of its exciting plot lines and engaging characters. Unfortunately, many of those characters eventually left the show.

As noted, Criminal Minds is no stranger to losing essential cast members. Some actors, like Lola Glaudini, left the show in its early seasons, while others, like Shemar Moore, left Criminal Minds in season 11 to pursue other interests. Of course, even some of the best TV shows of all time lost important characters at some point. That said, some exits on the series were more premature than others.

8 Lola Glaudini

Special Agent Elle Greenaway

Criminal Minds was not Lola Glauidin’s first time starring in a police drama TV show. Before appearing on the popular series, Glaudini had played Dolores Mayo on NYPD Blue and Danielle Ciccillela in the mob drama The Sopranos. Glaudini debuted on Criminal Minds in season 1 as FBI BAU Special Agent Elle Greenaway. Even though she was part of the original cast of Criminal Minds, Glaudini left the show after the first two seasons. Greenaway got a proper send-off. After someone shot her, she began to suffer from PTSD.

After failing to attend her psychological evaluation, Greenaway handed in her badge and walked away. There’s a reason why Lola Glaudini left Criminal Minds after two seasons. Even though she did not personally reveal her reasons, reports say Glauidini was unhappy living in LA, where the show was filmed. She preferred living on the East Coast, where she was from. Paget Brewster replaced Glaudini, who, like her, also left the show early. After leaving Criminal Minds, Glaudini stayed as a television actor, with recurring roles in The Expanse and Ray Donovan.

7 Paget Brewster

Emily Prentiss

Paget Brewster took on the role of Emily Prentiss, who replaced Elle Greenaway and became one of the most popular characters on Criminal Minds. Brewster was on Criminal Minds from season 1 to season 5. She left the show in Season 5 to pursue other opportunities. Her exit was a huge storyline, as Prentiss seemingly died, and the team mourned and replaced her. However, it turned out that she faked her death and waited for her tormenter, Doyle, to resurface. However, after bringing him down, she leaves again to run Interpol in London.​​

Even though Brewster announced her official exit from the show in season 7, she returned at the end of season 7 and then for good in season 12. Since that time, she has become the team leader and remains there in Criminal Minds: Evolution. Brewster returned to her comedy roots during her time away with roles in Community, Another Period, and Grandfathered.

6 Mandy Patinkin

Special Agent Jason Gideon

Mandy Patinkin was part of the main cast of Criminal Minds. He played the role of Senior Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon. Patinkin left Criminal Minds in early season 3 because he was uncomfortable with the dark subject often featured on the show. Due to his abrupt departure, the Criminal Minds writers had to quickly think of a way of explaining why Gideon was no longer part of the show. Ultimately, the show revealed he quit the BAU due to the trauma that his girlfriend’s murder had caused.

Pantikin did not return to the show but was killed off-screen in season 10. An unsub that Gideon had previously confronted returned and killed him. There were flashbacks to Gideon (recast with a younger actor) and Rossi’s past. Patinkin quickly rebounded four years later with his long run on Homeland, where he received four Primetime Emmy nominations. He most recently starred in The Good Fight.

5 A.J. Cook

Jennifer “JJ” Jareau

A.J Cook plays the role of Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, one of the most important members of the BAU. Jennifer made her first appearance on the show in the second episode of season 1, where she was a Behavioral Analysis Unit media liaison. As the show went on, Jennifer moved on from being a liaison to a profiler who went into the field with the BAU team. After appearing on the show for six seasons, Cook left the series as Jennifer left the team to work at the Pentagon. CBS didn’t renew Cook’s contract because of financial constraints.

DID YOU KNOW: A.J. Cook’s real sons, Mekhai and Phoenix, played her character’s sons in Criminal Minds?

Garcia and Hotch took over her responsibilities as media liaison, but she returned to the show in season 7 after fan backlash. She remains with the franchise in Criminal Minds: Evolution. During her short time away from Criminal Minds, Cook didn’t do much acting outside of a small role in the horror movie Mother’s Day.

4 Rachel Nichols

Cadet Ashley Seaver

Rachel Nichols made her first appearance in season 6 of Criminal Minds. She played the role of an FBI cadet named Ashley Seaver, who worked with the BAU to help investigate a murder that happened in a gated community. When Nichols joined Criminal Minds, the show was going through a tough time because fans reacted negatively to CBS not renewing the contracts of A.J. Cook and Page Brewster. However, Nichols only lasted for one season.

When Page Brewster and A.J. Cook returned to the show, the show let Rachel Nichols in. Ashley Seaver left the BAU in the story when she transferred to the Domestic Trafficking Task Force. Nichols rebounded quickly by taking the lead role in Continuum one year after leaving Criminal Minds. She later took on big roles in Chicago Fire, Titans, The Librarians, The Man in the High Castle, and A Million Little Things.

3 Jeanne Triplehorn

Dr. Alex Blake

Jeanne Tripplehorn played the role of Dr. Alex Blake in seasons 8 and 9 of Criminal Minds. When Dr. Alex Blake joined the show, she fit in perfectly with the other characters and became an instant fan favorite. However, Tripplehorn left Criminal Minds after being featured for only two seasons. When her contract with Criminal Minds was up, Tripplehorn decided not to return to the show. Tripplehorn moved on to smaller roles in shows like The Gilded Age and The Terminal List.

When Dr. Alex Blake joined the show, she fit in perfectly with the other characters and became an instant fan favorite.

Her character, Dr. Alex Blake, left the show after working on a case that reminded her of her dead son. She quietly handed over her badge to Reid and went on to start a new life. Executive producer Erica Messer said, “Jeanne didn’t want it to be a big deal and we felt like that was in line with Blake too. She’s not a splashy, loud character. She didn’t come in with a bang — she was already part of the team when we meet her. She came in nicely and she left nicely.” (via TV Guide).

2 Jennifer Love Hewitt

Kate Callahan

Jennifer Love Hewitt had a brief stint as Kate Callahan in Criminal Minds season 10. Kate replaced Dr. Alex Blake in the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). After Kate discovered she was pregnant, she left the BAU to focus on caring for her family. The reasons for Kate and Hewitt’s departure were the same. While shooting Criminal Minds, Hewitt discovered she was pregnant with her second child. Hewitt decided to leave Criminal Minds to spend more time with her family.

While she only planned to take a year off from the BUA, Kate never returned. Three years after leaving Criminal Minds, Hewitt was back on TV again, this time on the FOX first responder series 9-1-1, where she plays 9-1-1 operator Maddie Kendall. She has been on that series since its second season and remains a main star as it moves to ABC and enters its eighth season.

1 Damon Gupton

Stephen Walker

One of the characters who deserved more time on Criminal Minds was Stephen Walker. Damon Gupton was no stranger to playing characters who were in law enforcement. Before Criminal Minds, he had appeared in The Player, Prime Suspect, and Empire. While Stephen Walker was perfect for Criminal Minds, he was let go after having a brief stint in season 12.

Damon Gupton appeared in 15 episodes of Criminal Minds

Unfortunately, Walker didn’t get a proper send-off and was killed off-screen. Even though initial reports claim that Gupton left because of a “creative change,” Criminal Minds showrunner Erica Messer admitted that Gupton left to make room for Daniel Henney, who played Matt Simmons (via Deadline). Gupton rebounded quickly, signing on to Black Lightning one year later and then The Big Door Prize after that series ended. His next show is the 2025 Paramount+ series Happy Face.

How Criminal Minds Has Handled These Departures

It was always interesting to see how Criminal Minds moved on when important characters left the show. When it comes to the first major departure, it was Mandy Patinkin’s Special Agent Jason Gideon. That loss seemed big, but the show was able to use his departure to further storylines, specifically focusing on his relationship with Reid and how that changed the young agent. It also helped elevate Joe Mantegna’s David Rossi as the main replacement for that character’s purpose.

Criminal Minds
handled Emily Prentiss’s departure best.

The next major character to leave was Paget Brewster, but that didn’t work out very well. A.J. Cook’s Jareau’s departure also didn’t go over well. Criminal Minds only chose to cut back, and when the fans rebelled, the series backtracked and brought both back. Criminal Minds handled Emily Prentiss’s departure best, as the show turned her departure into an exciting storyline and brought major stress between her and her teammates thanks to her deceit.

When Shemar Moore left as Derek Morgan, it was the first time Criminal Minds had to prove it could work without a major star. Unlike Brewster and Cook, Moore was not returning and moved on to a new show. The series brought in new characters, focused attention on other team members, and proved that the size of the main cast allowed the show to recover from big losses. That was proven even more when the show fired Thomas Gibson and Criminal Minds never missed a beat.