<p id=”par-1_34″><em><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/criminal-minds/”>Criminal Minds</a> </em>star Paget Brewster was looking like a mainstay on the series <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/criminal-minds-the-reason-paget-brewster-left-the-series.html/”>before her departure</a> in season seven. The actor once set the record straight on the real reason she left the series.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-how-paget-brewster-came-back-to-criminal-minds”>How Paget Brewster came back to ‘Criminal’ Minds’</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” fetchpriority=”high” width=”1200″ height=”798″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Paget-Brewster-Criminal-Minds-1.jpg?strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”Paget Brewster wearing a black suit posing as her character Emily Prentiss in ‘Criminal Minds’.” class=”wp-image-3625798″ srcset=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Paget-Brewster-Criminal-Minds-1.jpg 1200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Paget-Brewster-Criminal-Minds-1.jpg?w=150&h=100 150w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Paget-Brewster-Criminal-Minds-1.jpg?w=640&h=426 640w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Paget-Brewster-Criminal-Minds-1.jpg?w=768&h=511 768w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Paget-Brewster-Criminal-Minds-1.jpg?w=1024&h=681 1024w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Paget-Brewster-Criminal-Minds-1.jpg?w=526&h=350 526w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Paget-Brewster-Criminal-Minds-1.jpg?w=254&h=169 254w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Paget-Brewster-Criminal-Minds-1.jpg?w=200&h=133 200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Paget-Brewster-Criminal-Minds-1.jpg?w=762&h=507 762w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Paget-Brewster-Criminal-Minds-1.jpg?w=90&h=60 90w” sizes=”(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px”><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Paget Brewster | Neil Jacobs/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-2_67″>At the time, many were surprised by Brewster’s exit from <em>Criminal Minds</em>. She was brought on board the team during the show’s second season as agent Emily Prentiss. Brewster seemed poised to become as much of a constant presence <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/criminal-minds-evolution-shemar-moore-return-derek-morgan.html/”>on the show as Shemar Moore</a> and some of the other co-stars. But she, along with her <em>Criminal Minds </em>co-star A.J. Cook, were let go from the show.</p>
<p id=”par-3_47″>Speaking with <a href=”https://www.assignmentx.com/2012/interview-paget-brewster-and-warren-leight-talk-law-order-svu/”>Assignment X</a>, Brewster confided that those behind the series simply wanted to shake up the show. They felt reducing Brewster’s role would’ve added some spontaneity, which Brewster felt was a mistake. Fortunately, she felt her and the show’s fans were partially responsible for her return.</p>
<p id=”par-4_92″>“I think they wanted to make a cast change-up and it didn’t work,” she said. “It was the second or third time I know of, historically, that fans’ reaction actually affected a network’s [decision]. And so A.J. and I were brought back and unfortunately, Rachel [Nichols] was fired after we were fired [and then re-hired]. So there was a lot of firing that shouldn’t have happened. And it’s a shame – I think it’s a really simple case of, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, and I think they recognized that.”</p>
<p id=”par-5_25″>There was another silver lining to Brewster being written out of the show. This allowed for more captivating storytelling when her character made her comeback.</p>
<p id=”par-6_56″>“The way that I was written out [the first time] was really exciting and interesting,” Brewster said. “And the writers were very excited about doing it. And I think they worked incredibly hard and wrote a really exciting, crazy story for me to leave on, and we had to tie it up when I came back.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-paget-brewster-felt-she-was-fired-from-criminal-minds-due-to-sexism”>Paget Brewster felt she was fired from ‘Criminal Minds’ due to sexism</h2>
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<p id=”par-7_61″>Years later, Brewster would delve a little deeper into her firing from the show, giving fans a glimpse of what truly happened behind-the-scenes. She debunked the common speculation that she and Cook were fired due to budget cuts. The <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/how-i-met-your-father-sophie-mom-lori-paget-brewster-familiar.html/”><em>How I Met Your Father </em>star</a> asserted that a network executive simply wanted other women to be a part of the program.</p>
<p id=”par-8_90″>“[Someone from] CBS had just called Ed Bernaro and said, ‘I want new women.’ So we were fired, the fans were upset, there was a petition… A.J. shot an episode to sort of explain where J.J. was going, but my agents had negotiated for me to do 17 episodes and <em>then </em>leave. Because we were fired. So I went to the writers and said, ‘Just kill my character, give the team something to do, and I’ll leave.’ I was heartbroken. I was so happy there,” she once told <a href=”https://www.assignmentx.com/2012/interview-paget-brewster-and-warren-leight-talk-law-order-svu/”>AV Club</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-9_40″>Brewster was initially asked to come back to the series, which she was initially against after her treatment. But she developed such a bond with her <em>Criminal Minds </em>castmates that she at least looked forward to working with them again.</p>
<p id=”par-10_90″>“I <em>hated </em>CBS. [What they did] was just scummy. But everyone at <em>Criminal Minds </em>I really enjoy and I really like and I really care about. So I did that last year, and then I said, ‘I love everyone here, but I realize now, having left, that my heart isn’t in it.’ And that’s what they wrote for Emily Prentiss: They wrote Emily Prentiss saying, ‘Since I’ve come back, I’ve realized that my heart isn’t in it, and I want to do other things.’ And it was true,” she said.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-paget-brewster-wanted-to-do-comedy-after-she-thought-her-time-with-criminal-minds-was-over”>Paget Brewster wanted to do comedy after she thought her time with ‘Criminal Minds’ was over</h2>
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<p id=”par-11_62″>Brewster planned to work on much lighter projects after her initial run with <em>Criminal Minds</em>. But one of the projects she booked was <em>Law & Order SVU</em>, which was <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/criminal-minds-vs-law-order-svu-which-procedural-is-more-popular.html/”>also known for its dark storyline</a>s. She appeared in a couple of episodes as ADA Sheila Tierney. Although she was looking to do comedies, she made an exception for Dick Wolf’s long-running series.</p>
<p id=”par-12_64″>“But you just don’t say no to <em>SVU</em>– who would? Those guys are awesome,” she said. “They work incredibly hard, it’s a really exciting environment, and so I was deeply flattered when they offered me the part. It’s pretty much the only [law enforcement procedural] show that I would do, but I love the show, so I would have been crazy to say no.”</p>