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.

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!

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."

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.

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.

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.

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."

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."