Criminal Minds season 13: Is Damon Gupton leaving?

Is Damon Gupton leaving Criminal Minds before the start of season 13? So much time has been spent talking about Kirsten Vangesness and AJ Cook’s future as of late that the future of many relative newcomers may not have been considered in the process.

There is reason to be worried about Gupton judging from his latest comments on social media, one in which he responded to a Tyvis Powell tweet by proclaiming that he had “just lost his job.” Certainly, Gupton gets other work beyond the CBS crime procedural, but this was his day job ever since being hired midway through season 12 following the departure of Thomas Gibson. Over the course of the season it was revealed that this was a hire that the network had a large role in, but it worked rather well from our vantage point.

What we enjoyed about Stephen Walker was that he was an analytical character, someone intensely smart and with a deep history of behavioral analysis. He also had a history with Rossi built in to his backstory, so it wasn’t as though he came out of nowhere to join the BAU.

If he’s gone, there could be a number of reasons for it, whether it be creative or budgetary. With the show moving to a later timeslot, this could be a move made to tighten up the budget expecting lower ratings that often come with that. Damon could have been the most expendable cast member, if for no other reason than that he was the one added most recently.

The writers room for season 13 has officially opened, and this may be in part a reason why the news of Gupton’s exit is starting to come out into the open. An official announcement could come over the days ahead. Based on the potentially-deadly cliffhanger at the end of season 12, the writers did give themselves leeway to write out characters based on what happened with the car crash.

What do you think about Gupton leaving, provided that this is the news that is coming out here? Be sure to share in the attached comments.

Meanwhile, be sure to visit this link to get more about the Vangsness – Cook contract situation, including how a deal should get done sooner rather than later. With the show already losing both Gibson and Shemar Moore as longrunning cast members, it would heavily benefit them keeping some of their other familiar faces on board. (Photo: CBS.)