This Is Why AJ Cook Had To Leave Criminal Minds, The Reason Will Shock You!
This Is Why AJ Cook Had To Leave Criminal Minds, The Reason Will Shock You!
Criminal Minds has been no stranger to cast turnover, losing key protagonists and going through a number of seasons in which team members seemed to arrive and leave within the same year. Many departures caused a stir among fans, and the reasons became well known, including the dismissal of Thomas Gibson after an alleged on-set altercation and the early loss of Mandy Patinkin as Jason Gideon over the show’s content. One that was nearly as dramatic, however, was the departure and later return of A.J. Cook’s Jennifer Jareau, better known as JJ.
As part of a mid-series shuffle based partially on budgetary constraints, Cook’s character was written off the show despite her seniority and through no fault of her own. More interesting, however, is that she was brought back less than a season later. So, why did JJ leave Criminal Minds? Here are the on and off-screen stories behind A.J. Cook’s departure from Criminal Minds.
Updated on November 13, 2024, by Michael Colwander: Despite a brief departure, JJ has appeared in more Criminal Minds episodes than anyone not named Penelope Garcia. It’s tough to imagine Criminal Minds without her. With a third season of Criminal Minds: Evolution in development, will JJ return for another season? More information has been added about JJ’s role in the latest season as well as her future in Criminal Minds.
Who Is JJ on Criminal Minds?
The Former Liason Has Since Become One Of The BAU’s Best Profilers
Jennifer Jareau was a member of the original BAU team on Criminal Minds since the first season. JJ first appeared in the second episode of the series, titled “Compulsion,” as the Behavioral Analysis Unit’s liaison with local police and the media. JJ didn’t work as a profiler at first but as an integral member of the team who accompanied them in most cases. JJ even went on a date with Spencer Reid once. However, their relationship never became more than a close friendship, and JJ and Reid’s relationship became one of the most beloved on the show. Once she returned to Criminal Minds, JJ assumed the role of a profiler — continuing her work with the BAU in the field.
JJ played a crucial role in the episode “North Mammon” from Season 2, even though she hadn’t shown any interest in becoming a profiler at the time and instead preferred her role as a liaison. JJ met her future husband, William LaMontagne, while working on a case with the BAU in the episode “Jones,” also from Season 2. They had two children together over the course of the show, and JJ’s role as a working mother became an important part of her character. This is especially wholesome for Cook as both of JJ’s children, Henry and Michael, are played by Cook’s real-life children, Mekhai and Phoenix Anderson. JJ’s character development is one of the best in Criminal Minds, and the fans enjoyed watching her grow and overcome different obstacles throughout the series.
Why Did JJ Leave Criminal Minds in Season 6?
JJ Was Off Working For The Pentagon In The Middle East
Despite being a rather foundational member of the BAU team, JJ was written off of the series during most of Season 6. But before anyone asks if JJ died — she was still alive and well. The in-fiction reason was her forced transfer to the Pentagon, which was in turn a cover story hiding her real work on a task force in the Middle East. Apparently, the Pentagon job had been offered to JJ multiple times before, though it’s unclear if those instances were also cover stories for similar secret work. Erin Strauss forces JJ to take on the job, and not even Hotch can help her stay with the team. The real-world reason for Cook’s exit was less dramatic, though. The studio was looking to reduce costs, so it let go of both Cook and fellow Criminal Minds star Paget Brewster.
While Brewster stayed on for most of Season 6, Cook was given two episodes to wrap up her storyline. JJ’s brief return in Season 6 was thanks to the numerous letters CBS received from fans demanding they bring JJ back to give closure to her story, proving just how popular and beloved her character was. While financial reasons were the biggest factor in the decision not to pick up Cook’s contract, some speculated that she had chosen to leave for the standard “creative differences” that are often cited when an actor and show part ways.
Others viewed her dismissal alongside Brewster’s reduction as a sexist decision. There was even speculation that some executives wanted “new women” on the show. While Brewster told The AV Club in 2015 that the network was “not particularly kind to women” and pointed to the significantly increased pay of her and Cook’s replacement, Rachel Nichols, the generally accepted reason is still strictly financial.
When Did JJ Come Back to Criminal Minds?
A Gender Pay Disparity Nearly Cost Criminal Minds Numerous Great Characters
Fortunately, Cook wasn’t gone for long. The Season 7 premiere saw the return of both JJ and Brewster’s Emily Prentiss to the BAU. JJ even reveals she took the necessary training to become a profiler and a field agent, and returns to the BAU team in a new position. Her return was bolstered by the outpouring of fan support after the announcement of Cook’s departure — no one except the studio seemed willing to let JJ go. JJ’s in-fiction reason for her departure continued to play an important role in the series, and her time at the Pentagon becomes central to the overarching storyline in Criminal Minds Season 8.
Cook’s return didn’t mean much of an improvement for women’s wages on the series. In 2013, ahead of Season 9, Cook and co-star Kirsten Vangsness (who played Penelope Garcia) nearly refused to renew their contracts. CBS had made final offers to the main cast, which Cook and Vangsness reportedly were upset with due to being paid less than half of what their male co-stars were paid. It took more than two months for Cook and Vangsness to receive parity with male cast members.
This came just a few years after Cook and Brewster’s roles were significantly reduced for cost purposes, leaving Vangsness as the only full-time female cast member for a while. Evidently, Criminal Minds has a long history of undermining its female characters and the actors who play them. Cook stayed on as one of the leading characters for the remainder of the original show’s 15-season run and is now part of the cast of the revival Criminal Minds: Evolution (essentially Seasons 16-forward).
What is JJ’s Spotlight Plot in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2?
The 17th Overall Season Features The Most Personal Story For JJ Yet
As noted, so much of A.J. Cook’s time on Criminal Minds in the public sphere has been tied up with her role as a female cast member, and whether that made her “expendable” back in Season 6, and whether her treatment on the series has been worse because she is a woman. With that in mind, Criminal Minds: Evolution has cleverly leaned into those themes with Cook’s spotlight plot in Season 2.
Prentiss learns that someone has used AI to create a sexually explicit “deepfake” website using the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) team as the subjects, with JJ as a central figure in the fake videos. Prentiss hid this from AJ at first, but Elias Voit (Zach Gilford), the serial killer known as Sicarius, who has blackmailed a role for himself in the team (using his skills as a profiler), reveals the secret to JJ.
Throughout the season, fans have seen the comforting and kind JJ get more and more hardened as she is confronted with an evil that is all too real and an evil that she can’t really “arrest.” Once these videos are out there, they are very hard to stop. JJ has to think about her sons, and what people would think if their friends (or their friends’ parents) discovered these videos. Eventually, she confronted Prentiss, and the two longtime friends came to an understanding, with Prentiss apologizing for keeping it from JJ. The storyline is so grounded in realism, and also in one of the many hardships facing women in society.
Much of Season 2 afterward focused on the Gold Star storyline. With that now wrapped up, the following season is beginning to shift back to a “monster of the week” format while taking place months after the conclusion of Season 2.
Will JJ Be Back For Evolution Season 3?
Season 3 Could Shine An Even Brighter Light On JJ
JJ’s time in the BAU has taken an immense emotional toll. JJ has witnessed horrors each day. She’s had near-death experiences. Add in the recent health scare of Will and “BAUgate,” and it would be easy to assume JJ’s nearing the end of her tenure in the BAU. She has a family with young children to think about, and knowing what happened with Hotch and his family must be at the back of her mind. Will JJ be back for another season of Criminal Minds?
The short answer is yes. The current season of Evolution has long been in development with a cast photo that includes A.J. Cook as JJ released back in August 2024 on the Criminal Minds Instagram page. Alongside Cook are other returning cast members such as Vangsness, Joe Mantegna, Aisha Tyler, and Adam Rodriguez. No word yet on whether Matthew Gary Gubler will return as Spencer Reid, but time will tell.
Where does JJ go from here? Fans have theorized that the third season of Evolution could heavily focus on JJ, given the strong focus on Rossi in the first season of Evolution and Prentiss in the second season. Speaking with TheWrap, showrunner Erica Messer said, “I had this own little thing in my head, which is not even necessarily logical, but in Season 16/Season 1, it was really Rossi, and he happens to be No. 1 on our call sheet. And then this season, Prentiss is the second on the call sheet.” Messer continues, “So it’s like, I just kept going down the call sheet, in a way, and that’s kind of continuing into the third season.”
So it’s like, I just kept going down the call sheet, in a way, and that’s kind of continuing into the third season.
It’s unknown whether JJ is next up on that call sheet. It could always be Garcia. However, JJ is set up for an emotional story arc in the upcoming season of Evolution. She’s still dealing with the emotional fallout of the deepfake video not to mention her kids are getting older. If Will’s health scare returns or her marriage begins to dissolve, that could potentially be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, leading to JJ’s final departure from the BAU.
The caveat to this theory is could Criminal Minds put such a big focus on JJ and not have Reid return in any significant capacity given the close bond the two share? There’s also no word on if Josh Stewart will return as Will, who was absent from this past season. Regardless of what’s in store, JJ will be back for Season 18 of Criminal Minds, the third season of Evolution. It’ll be interesting to see what’s to come for the beloved character and if she’ll return for a yet-to-be-confirmed Season 19.
