TV

Why Did Jennifer Love Hewitt Leave Criminal Minds So Suddenly?

Why Did Jennifer Love Hewitt Leave Criminal Minds So Suddenly?
Image credit: CBS

The actress repeated the fate of her character.

Criminal Minds ran for 15 seasons, with many actors coming and going over time.

The members of the BAU team changed several times, introducing fans to new characters – some made their way into the show almost without a trace, while others became fans's favorite.

Among them was Jennifer Love Hewitt, who became a huge star in the 2000s after starring in movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Heartbreakers.

Jennifer joined Criminal Minds in season 10, which was surprisingly her first and last. Her character was Kate Callahan, who took the place of Alex Blake, who left the group in season 9.

Before joining the BAU, Kate worked for the Internal Trafficking Task Force and had extensive experience working undercover.

Her sister and brother-in-law died in the 9/11 attacks, which led her to take their daughter, Meg, into her care.

The final episode of the season focused on Kate.

Why Did Jennifer Love Hewitt Leave Criminal Minds So Suddenly? - image 1

Meg was kidnapped by human traffickers, but the BAU managed to bring her back alive and unharmed.

Afterwards, Kate found out she was pregnant and decided to quit her job to devote herself to the family.

In such a short time on the show, Jennifer's character did not have time to really open up and become a significant part of the BAU team, so fans expected her storyline to develop in further seasons.

However, the actress never returned to the show, and the reason was the same thing that happened to her character – Jennifer was pregnant.

Later, Jennifer Love Hewitt took part in another procedural – 9-1-1. She joined the show in its second season and played Maddie Buckley, an experienced dispatcher who had saved countless lives.

The first season of the Criminal Minds: Evolution has recently been released, featuring most of the main cast from the original series.

The final episode of the first season aired in February, and the show has been officially renewed for a second season.

Most importantly, fans are eagerly awaiting the return of one of BAU's most popular members – Dr. Spencer Reid, who was unable to attend the filming of the first season due to a busy schedule.

His participation has not yet been confirmed, but given the character's popularity, fans are hoping for at least a small role.