Shemar Moore Quits 'Criminal Minds' Cast After Season 11: Goodbye, Derek Morgan!

In news that will bring down Criminal Minds fans everywhere (not to mention his Baby Girl Garcia), team expert on fixations and obsessions Derek Morgan will no longer be a regular in the long-running CBS crime drama. In a recent statement, actor Shemar Moore has revealed he'll be quitting the cast of the show after Season 11.

As USA Today reports, a shocking twist on last Wednesday's episode of Criminal Minds, revealed that Moore's character Derek, which has been part of the team since the show first began, would be leaving the team to pursue other projects.

On the episode, Derek decides to leave the force to spend more time with his family right after his wife survives a shooting.

In a sweet twist, the episode, entitled "A Beautiful Disaster," was something of a family affair: it was written by showrunner Erica Messer alongside Kirsten Vangsness (who plays Garcia on the show) and the director was Matthew Gray Gubler, best known for playing Dr. Spencer Reid.

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In all, Moore's departure from the show was as amicable as can be, as he just decided it was time for him to move on from the hit show to go on to other things. He had been part of the cast since the very beginning, which is to say he'd been part of the team for 11 years.

"I've treated my acting career like school. The Young and the Restless: eight years, high school. Criminal Minds: college. Now I'm ready for grad school, a Ph.D., whatever you want to call it," Moore told TV Guide about departing the series. "I'm just ready to grow. I just want to leap. And I don't know where I'm going to land, but I believe that I'm going to land. ... I'm not leaving to go be a big star. I'm not leaving to go make a bunch of money."

Will he be coming back every once in a while, like fellow former star Paget Brewster? Maybe! Reminding everyone he's popped on the soap opera that made him a star since departing, he says he would be open to making a guest appearance at some point, only "not right away."

It's unclear whether the show will be adding another cast member to fill the void left by Moore, but it seems likely anyone would really be able to fill his shoes.

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