‘Criminal Minds’ Dr. Spencer Reid: Is Matthew Gray Gubler Leaving The Show?

Fans of Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds are concerned that Matthew Gray Gubler will be leaving the show, so is there any truth to these rumors?

Criminal Minds has seen many changes over the course of the past year. The Behavioral Analysis Unit has witnessed Shemar Moore leaving and Thomas Gibson being fired after being involved in an argument with a producer and writer of the show while Season 12 was in the process of being filmed. Now fans of Dr. Spencer Reid are growing concerned that Matthew Gray Gubler could be the next member of the cast to exit Criminal Minds, as the International Business Times are reporting.

Speculation and worries over Dr. Spencer Reid leaving Criminal Minds began after fans noticed that Season 12, Episode 13 is simply called “Spencer.” When Shemar Moore left the show, his last episode was titled “Derek.” In Moore’s final episode, Derek had been held captive and tortured before he was finally found.

Also worrying to fans of Dr. Spencer Reid, the genius with an IQ of 184, is that Kirsten Vangsness has written Episode 13 of Criminal Minds. Vangsness plays Penelope Garcia, the quirky computer genius on the show, and also penned Shemar Moore’s final episode. So, could the fact that Kirsten Vangsness penned the final episode for Moore, and has also penned Episode 13, signal Dr. Spencer Reid’s imminent departure?

When Kirsten Vangsness spoke with TVLine, she did note that the episodes she writes on Criminal Minds usually tend to impact the course of certain character’s lives in a major way.

“I seem to co-write the episodes that change the course for people. That does not mean the ends of people, it just changes their course. So Episode 13 is a course changer. It’s a course changer.”

Harry Bring, the co-executive producer of Criminal Minds, was asked back in November of 2016 if Dr. Spencer Reid would be leaving the show. Bring had tweeted the title, director, and writers of Episode 13, and concerned fans grew worried that Matthew Gray Gubler would no longer be a cast member, but Harry Bring replied, “No. Please relax.”

After other fans also began tweeting Bring about Dr. Spencer Reid, he finally replied, “I said not to worry in 3 other tweets. I gotta stop tweeting stuff. People read too much into my posts.”

@NATIONGUBLER No. please relax.

— Harry Bring (@LLPOS) November 9, 2016

While the International Business Times describe how Criminal Minds would have a hard time “bouncing back” if Dr. Spencer Reid’s character was gone, they also mention that perhaps Spencer may choose to focus more on his mother’s story line.

Besides two major characters having left Criminal Minds over the past year, Season 12 has some other surprises in store for viewers in the form of some very dark episodes, as actor Adam Rodriguez says. TV Insider has mentioned that Tatum O’Neal is set to guest star in a future episode of the show, and Rodriguez has said that it is going to be very gruesome.

“The episode is the most gruesome that I’ve seen in my time on the show. It’s a tooth grinder. You’ll be watching it and cringing with every part of your body. The case in the episode is super dark. It’s basically about this mother trying to connect with her son and her son is just too far gone. This damage that was done, he blames her for it, she couldn’t protect him from it.”

What do all of the Matthew Gray Gubler fans think of rumors that he may leave the show and are you hoping that Dr. Spencer Reid will remain as a character on Criminal Minds?

[Featured Image by Chris Pizzello/AP Images]