Xuenou > Movies > A.J. Cook Revealed What It’s Been Like To Return To “Criminal Minds” Without Matthew Grey Gubler
A.J. Cook Revealed What It’s Been Like To Return To “Criminal Minds” Without Matthew Grey Gubler
A.J. Cook Revealed What It’s Been Like To Return To “Criminal Minds” Without Matthew Grey Gubler,"I was like, 'I don't know how to do this without him. Like, how do we do this?'"

A.J. Cook Revealed What It’s Been Like To Return To “Criminal Minds” Without Matthew Grey Gubler

So, you know Matthew Gray Gubler. He starred as fan favorite Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds for 15 seasons and appeared in nearly every one of its 324 episodes.

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Matthew Gray Gubler and Daniel Henney (who played Matt Simmons) are the only two original series cast members who have not returned to the series yet. Executive producer Erica Messer explained, “It’s a little bit more of a mystery of what Reid and Simmons are up to. They are not gone, gone.” She also clarified that Reid and Simmons’ desks will still be included in the BAU office set. 

People — the cast included — are understandably heartbroken.

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She said, “Matthew is one of the most charismatic, larger than life, yet very real, people I’ve ever met. It was actually really, really difficult for me when I found out he wasn’t gonna be able to come back. I considered not [returning].”

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“I was like, ‘I don’t know how to do this without him. Like, how do we do this?’ [Spencer and JJ are] best friends. I kind of struggled with that at first.”

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She added, “But when we started seeing the scripts, it’s just such a strong storyline that it made me feel a lot better when I saw where it was all going.”

“We all want him there. Hopefully, that will all come together because he’s so much fun to be around. He’s just that guy that you want to be around. Good energy.”

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And luckily, Gubler’s return is definitely in the realm of possibility, because Cook even said, “But yeah, he’s so great and we definitely miss him. Hopefully, we will see him again soon. We’re definitely setting some things up.”

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“I can’t really give anything away. But we just want to make sure that [Gubler and Henney] can come back at any time.”

Earlier this month, Joe Mantegna, who plays SSA David Rossi, even tagged Gubler in an Instagram post promoting the revival.

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???

But for now, only time will tell!

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Read A.J.’s full interview here and be sure to stream Criminal Minds: Evolution on Paramount+.