What The Cast Of Criminal Minds Is Doing Today

"Criminal Minds" was a popular police crime drama that followed a group of profilers for the FBI. The Behavioral Analysis Unit (or BAU) specialized in profiling criminals to figure out their motives, patterns and potential next moves. Each episode followed the crimes of a different offender, with each crime more heinous than the last. The CBS series ran for 15 successful seasons with countless famous guest stars, and its last episode premiered in early 2020. The show was one of the most watched on the networks throughout its nearly two-decade run, and streaming has only allowed it to reach even more viewers. In 2021, Paramount+ announced via Deadline that a 10-episode revival was in the works.

The show's initial cast consisted of seven beloved characters, each with their own unique skills and experience. Together, they solved every mystery and were usually able to bring the culprits to justice, even when their personal lives were involved. "Criminal Minds" had an impressive way of making the viewer connect with each character, and over the years, as most of the original cast was phased out, fans have wondered what happened to their favorite members of the BAU. So, what are our favorite FBI agents up to now? Let's dive into what the cast of "Criminal Minds" is doing today.

For the first 12 seasons of "Criminal Minds," Thomas Gibson played Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner, the chief and leader of the BAU. He later took on the role of Media Liaison Officer before his abrupt departure in 2016. Gibson was fired from the show following a violent altercation, in which the hot-headed actor allegedly kicked writer and producer Virgil Williams while on set for an episode he was directing. Apparently it wasn't the first time the actor lost his temper on set. He was infamous for his mood swings, and colleagues allege that one day he would be friendly but short-tempered and cold the next. As Variety reports, the first incident was when Gibson assaulted an assistant director and was ordered to attend eight hours of anger management. The second involved alcohol-related reckless driving, and the actor's reputation never recovered. The 2016 altercation was the third and worst strike in five years, and it ended in his firing. That was the end of Aaron Hotchner on "Criminal Minds."

Though some would say that they've never seen this darker side of Gibson, others were happy to see him go: ​​"It's like a dark cloud has been lifted off that show," a former coworker told Variety. "You never knew which Thomas Gibson was going to show up." Since his departure from the popular crime show, Gibson hasn't done much besides a stint on "Shadow Wolves" and voice work for "Axis" that was recorded before he left "Criminal Minds" — although a project titled "The Writer's Bible" is in pre-production as of this writing.

Matthew Gray Gubler played Dr. Spencer Reid, a genius and Supervisory Special Agent for the BAU. A fan favorite and autodidact, Gubler is one of the only original cast members to appear in all 15 seasons of "Criminal Minds." The BAU relied heavily on Dr. Reid's intellect to profile their criminals, and fans tuned in week after week to watch his luscious locks evolve. Reid left the BAU under awkward circumstances, but his story was left open-ended, hinting that he might return for the reboot. Unfortunately, he won't join the cast, but Gubler isn't sad that his time at the BAU has ended. "If the show had only gone for six years, it probably would've been emotional, but because it's been such a beautiful presence in our life for 15 years, it wasn't sad. It was kind of beautiful," he told TVLine.

In the same TVLine chat, Gubler showed love to his former co-stars, and he expressed happiness for how the series wrapped. "I know that everything has its time and I'm in no way sad that the show is closing, because I feel like we've done it beautifully, and I feel like there are roots there for it to re-hatch later." As for his life post-"Criminal Minds," Gubler starred as Thorn in "King Knight" and has had a recurring role on Hulu's "Dollface," as Wes. Though his IMDb doesn't list any current projects as of this writing, Gubler's massive cult following still hopes that he'll return to the BAU.

For the first two seasons of "Criminal Minds," Lola Glaudini played Agent Elle Greenway, a Supervisory Special Agent with sexual offense crimes as her specialty. In her year and a half at the BAU, Greenway went through her fair share of trauma. In just the pilot episode, she was forced to gun down a suspect to defend Gideon. Then, she was kidnapped. Finally, getting shot by an unsub and almost dying was the last straw for this agent. A series of events lead her to stalking and confronting a suspect and killing him in cold blood. She was later diagnosed with PTSD and resigned without confessing to the crime.

Glaudini's reasons for leaving the series were far less grim. According to Los Angeles Times, Glaudini grew unhappy in L.A. and moved back to the East Coast. She kept acting though, with recurring roles on "The Expanse," "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D," and "Ray Donovan," per IMDb. She's also had a few smaller roles here and there, but most fans will probably always remember her as Agent Elle Greenway. Besides acting, Glaudini is really active on Instagram and regularly posts cute pics of her dog and her husband. And just in case you were wondering — she's still just as gorgeous as ever!

Viewers were heartbroken when Agent Jason Gideon made an abrupt exit in season 3. Played by Mandy Patinkin, Gideon left under brutal circumstances: mental health issues in the wake of his girlfriend's murder led to his retiring from the BAU, and he was later killed by a vengeful unsub. While Gideon was sad to leave the team, Patinkin couldn't wait to get off the "Criminal Minds" set. In a 2012 interview with New York Magazine, the actor admits that taking the role was a mistake. "The biggest public mistake I ever made was that I chose to do 'Criminal Minds' in the first place," he confessed. "I thought it was something very different. I never thought they were going to kill and rape all these women every night, every day, week after week, year after year. It was very destructive to my soul and my personality. After that, I didn't think I would get to work in television again." Ultimately, Patinkin says that leaving was necessary for his mental health, (per The New York Times).

After the show, Patinkin landed a role on "Homeland" as Saul Berenson. He considers this the "antidote" to "Criminal Minds," according to New York Magazine. The actor also had a recurring role on "The Good Fight," and did some voice work for "The Magician's Elephant." According to IMDb, Patinkin is set to appear in "Career Opportunities in Murder & Mayhem" and "Rufus," two works in production as of this writing.

Next up, we have Kirsten Vangsness. The talented blonde portrayed the loveable and quirky Penelope Garcia for all 15 seasons of "Criminal Minds." The eccentric technical analyst is the only BAU member to appear in both spinoffs of the popular series and is set to join the Paramount+ reboot sometime in 2023. According to The Orange County Register, Garcia is the role that "changed [Vangsness'] life," with her playful flirtationship with Derek Morgan providing some comedic relief amidst the intense show. Throughout her 15 years in the cast, Vangsness even had co-writing credits on a few episodes here and there, and was ultimately a very important part of the "Criminal Minds" fam.

Now that the original show's over, Vangsness worked on a one-woman show called "Making It Up," in which she portrays 17 different characters. She then dabbled in animation with her debut short "Curtains," and seems to have an interest in pursuing more films like it. In 2020, Vangsness told Animation Magazine: "Expect more animation from me in the future, yes! ... you know what, I love animation now. It really lends itself to a lot of stuff that I make. I actually have a play that I had done years ago, so maybe I make that into an animated short, I don't know. So that is definitely something that's in my noggin, I just have to see if I can get it out of my noggin."

Jennifer "J.J." Jareau is the BAU's former link between police and the media. The sweet and intelligent J.J. (played by A.J. Cook) would go on to become a profiler and mother in later seasons. In 2010, Entertainment Weekly reported that Cook's contract was not renewed due to so-called "financial creative reasons" — meaning that she, and others, were getting fired. Thankfully, Cook was brought back after a short leave but with significantly less screen time. J.J. still appeared in 302 of 325 "Criminal Minds" episodes after a bit of drama behind the scenes. Speaking candidly about her firing, Cook told TV Guide: "I had no idea it was coming. None of us did. I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt my feelings, but I chose to be me through the whole thing. And that's lead me back to where I started, but in a completely different way."

Since the show's wrap in 2020, Cook has starred in "9-1-1" as Kira and Nida in "Back Fork," alongside her "Criminal Minds" husband, Josh Stewart. According to The Wrap, Cook is also set to reprise her role as J.J. in the upcoming reboot. Yay! As for her plans beyond the acting world, Cook tells Parade: "I need to lose my phone and my computers for a little bit and just go off the grid, hang with my family, and run around in the wilderness and the wild for a bit and reconnect."

When Jason Gideon left at the beginning of Season 3 of "Criminal Minds," he was promptly replaced with Special Agent David Rossi. The sharp and perceptive Rossi was portrayed by Joe Mantegna and became an integral part of the team — leading the Behavioral Analysis Unit through some of the most gruesome crimes on television and all the way through "Criminal Minds'" 15th season.

Since the original series ended, Mantegna has guest-starred on "As We See It," "Barry," and has continuously appeared on "The Simpsons" as various characters since 1991. To much excitement, Mantegna confirmed that he will be reprising his role as Rossi in the upcoming "Criminal Minds" reboot on Paramount+. The actor spilled the beans via a behind-the-scenes photo on Twitter. "Just doing a little inspection today for an upcoming project," he captioned the photo, causing longtime fans and newbies alike to lose their minds from anticipation.

If there was one reason to tune into "Criminal Minds" every week, for many viewers it was to see the sexy and smooth agent Derek Morgan. The dangerously handsome agent was played by Shemar Moore. His charm, on-screen banter with Penelope Garcia (aka his "baby girl"), and knowledge on all things explosives was enough to keep us tuned in year after year. Sadly, like most of the main cast, Moore eventually felt it was his time to move forward with other projects. Moore left "Criminal Minds" in Season 11 to no drama. "I'm just ready to grow. I just want to leap," he told TV Guide in 2016. "I don't know where I'm going to land ... I'm not leaving to go be a big star. I'm not leaving to go make a bunch of money ... I just creatively want to be fueled and [am] excited to try new things."

Unfortunately, Moore doesn't seem to be returning for the reboot. A year after leaving the BAU, Moore joined the cast of "S.W.A.T." and has portrayed Daniel "Hodo" Harrelson ever since. He's also lent his voice to a few DC Comics films, and has appeared in hundreds of episodes of "Young and the Restless" since 1994 (per Collider). All in all, Moore tells TV Guide that he's proud of the way Derek Morgan's story ended, and he doesn't seem to have any regrets about his time on the show.

Emily Prentiss, the BAU's Unit Chief, was played by the smart and witty Paget Brewster. Prentiss is known for being rational, level-headed, and always on task, and usually keeps her cool in high-stress situations. Though viewers loved her character, Brewster was at risk of being axed at the same time as costar A.J. Cook. Brewster's contract was eventually renewed, but not after a lot of drama between the producers and the network. Shortly after the mess, Brewster told AV Club: "I was so soured by the experience of being fired for no reason. Because it wasn't budget cuts. The person they had hired to replace us got paid twice what we got paid!" Brewster continued by aiming her grievances at the network as a whole. "It's a network that's not particularly kind to women. That's why a lot of women leave those procedurals. Or are fired."

In between "Criminal Minds," Brewster starred in "Community" as a series regular. Since the show's wrap, she's has gotten roles in "Hollywood," "Duck Tales," "Birdgirl," "How I Met Your Mother," and "American Dad!," among others. The actor has also reportedly found a love for voice acting, and recently lent her voice to "Behind the Attraction" on Disney+. Brewster will thankfully reprise her role as Prentiss alongside her former cast in the new reboot, and we can't wait to see her embrace her graying hair.

Jayne Atkinson has built a fruitful career in both television and theatre. As recorded by Broadway World, the British-American actor started on stage in 1987, and has since appeared on a long list of projects including "24," "House of Cards," and of course, "Criminal Minds," as Agent Erin Strauss (per IMDb.) Strauss was an FBI assistant director and Agent Aaron Hotchner's nemesis, who tortured him throughout the first eight seasons before having a change of heart. She was inevitably killed off, with show producer Erica Messer telling TV Guide, "Strauss seemed like the one who had to go, which makes me sad, but it made sense, story-wise. She was our sacrificial lamb ... Creatively, she's sort of run her course."

Atkinson's most recent Broadway production, a one-woman show titled "Ann," was highly revered in the theatre world, with Northwestern University praising her performance. Now, the University notes that the actor is mostly living a private life out of the spotlight, besides playing Ruth Martin in the "Silence of the Lambs" sequel series, "Clarice."

Aisha Tyler joined the "Criminal Minds" fam as Dr. Tara Lewis a little later in its reign, but nonetheless left a powerful impact on the series. The multi-lingual forensic psychologist first joined the BAU as a recurring character while Jennifer "J.J." Jareau (A.J. Cook) and Kate Callahan (Jennifer Love Hewitt) were on maternity leave. After showcasing her high intelligence and impressive profiling skills, Dr. Lewis permanently joined the team as a Special Agent until the end of the show's original run.

Since "Criminal Minds" ended in 2020, Tyler has been extremely busy with all things television, film, and creativity. Per her IMDb profile, she's appeared in "Diary of a Future President," "Monsters At Work," "Black Water Transit," "Archer," and "Fear the Walking Dead," as Mickey. The in-demand actor was confirmed to be joining the Paramount+ reboot by The Wrap, and we can hardly contain our excitement for this new chapter.

Finally, we have Adam Rodriguez. After 11 seasons, Rodriguez took on the role of Supervisory Special Agent Luke Alvez when Shemar Moore left room for a new agent at the BAU. The handsome new agent, who specialized in profiling and animal training, took a minute to get on Penelope Garcia's good side, but the quirky analyst eventually warmed up to her former faux beau's replacement. By the end of the series, Garcia even agrees to go on a date with the newbie, so this potential romance is definitely something to look forward to in the reboot.

Since the original "Criminal Minds" ended, Rodriguez has been booked and busy. He's had roles in "Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels" and "A Christmas Proposal," and recently landed a recurring role on "Ordinary Joe" as Bobby Diaz. Rodriguez is also a host of the Canadian reality series "Finding Magic Mike." Hopefully his many commitments don't get in the way of an Alvez and Garcia office romance.

Jeanne Tripplehorn portrayed Agent Alex Blake, a linguistics expert for the BAU. Blake joined the team after longtime Unit Chief Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) left the FBI for other ventures. Before the BAU, Blake was a forensic linguistics professor at Georgetown, and actually had Dr. Spencer Reid as guest lecturer in one of her classes. Blake grew quite fond of Reid, and views him as her own son. In her last appearance, Blake revealed that her son, Ethan, tragically died of a neurological disease at age 9. With that, she left — leaving her badge, and the BAU, behind.

Thankfully, per TVLine, there was no drama behind Tripplehorn's 2014 departure. Showrunner Erica Messer explained that once Tripplehorn's contract was up, the actor was ready to go – with no fireworks. "Jeanne didn't want it to be a big deal and we felt like that was in line with Blake too. I think it makes sense given the character we've known for two years. 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." Tripplehorn's been pretty busy since leaving the BAU. She's had recurring roles on "The Gilded Age," a podcast series called "Exeter," and most recently, "The Terminal List" alongside Chris Pratt. According to her IMDb, Tripplehorn also starred as Eleanor Schlafly on "Mrs. America," and Beth Hollingsworth on "Undone."

Former child actor and bombshell Jennifer Love Hewitt joined "Criminal Minds" in its 10th season. Hewitt played Agent Kate Callahan before a pleasant surprise put her in a tough spot. According to showrunner Erica Messer (per Entertainment Weekly), Hewitt learned that she was pregnant with her second child. "Jennifer wanted to be able to give this second baby everything she gave her first, and that's taking time off to be a full-time mom," the producer explained. "Because she's due in July, when we would start shooting Season 11, timing-wise there was no way for her to do both, to be able to give that baby everything she wanted to give that baby and still be on our show." With that, Hewitt was written off, but Messer reassured the outlet that the doors were open if Hewitt chose to return.

Nowadays, Hewitt is busy with her role on Fox's "9-1-1." Her character, Maddie Buckley, disappeared under tense circumstances because the actor fell pregnant again. She returned with her newborn in tow, telling EW: "Definitely weird coming back to work with a five-month-old — especially the work that I do on the show, which is some of the heavier stuff — but it was really exciting. I was excited to come back and tell Maddie's story and answer a lot of questions for people." Season 6 is set to premiere in September 2022, and we can hardly wait!

To end things, we have the handsome Daniel Henney. Henney, who is best known for his voicing of Tadashi in "Big Hero 6," first played Matt Simmons on "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders" before joining the main series. The military vet and quick thinker proved to be a valuable asset to the BAU, often putting together the motives of an unsub long before his team. Simmons is also a dedicated husband and father to five children. The last time we saw him, the agent was narrowly escaping a deadly kidnapping. Juicy, right? Sadly though, it seems like this might be the end of Matt Simmons' story. As noted by PopCulture, Henney currently plays the lead role on "The Wheel of Time," which shoots in Prague. The "Criminal Minds" revival, however, will likely shoot in America, like the main series (per LatLong), so it's unlikely that Simmons will be a regular again. But, there's always room for a few cameos here and there if his scheduling allows.

Amazon's "The Wheel of Time," which is based on the best-selling fantasy novels of the same name, is currently producing its second season, according to Nerdist. Henney teased what's next for his character al'Lan "Lan" Mandragoran, telling Inverse: "I don't know how much I can reveal, but Zoe [Robins] and I have amazing chemistry together. We're really enjoying working together. I couldn't ask for a better partner in terms of the love [story]line. We're excited about where that's gonna go."